A 


o- 


ILLINOIS  HiSTOSICAl  SURVEY 


THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  ILLINOIS 


LIBRARY 


9n,3 


'^■i'.  te 


I 


\ 


\ 


EECOLLECTIOI^S 


OF 


PERSONS   AND    PLACES 


IN 


THE    WEST. 


BY 

H.  M.  BRACKENRIDGE, 

A  NATIVE  OP  THE  WEST;    TRAVELER,  AUTHOR,  JURIST. 


SECOND   EDITION,  ENLARGED. 


PniLADELPniA: 

J.   B.    LIPPINCOTT    &    CO. 
186  8. 


Entered,  aeeordii:^  :;  :.ir  A::  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1S6S,  by 

H.    M.    BP.ACKEXRIDGE, 

In  tie  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  in  and  for 
the  "Western  District  of  Pennsylvania, 


TO  THE  READER. 


.     In  this  volume  we  present  you  with  the  Kecollections 

J  of  the  Author,  of  the  earlier  part  of  a  life  somewhat  out 

»*of  the  common  track  up  to  the  age  of  twenty-three  or 

^four,  with  an  outline  of  his  course  of  preparation  for  the 

IP 

—bar,  and  of  his  first  attempt  at  professional  advancement. 

Nowadays,  since  truth  is  only  sought  in  romance,  this 

volume  may  be  thought  somewhat  dull  and  uninteresting. 

The  reader  will  find  nothing  marvelous  in  its  incidents, 

nothing  improbable,  nothing  that  is  not  strictly  true    Per- 

*~  haps  this  very  circumstance  may  cause  it  to  be  thought 

'^  an  invention  of  the  brain,  only  remarkable  for  its  verisi- 

^militude.    I  solemnly  protest  against  this  idea,  and  assure 

the  reader  that  it  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  what  it 

r 

(^pretends  to  be. 


fN, 


The  Author. 


(iii) 


>r 


>^o 


^ 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Author  begins  with  his  Birth,  where  Men  generally  he- 
gin — Incidents  of  Childhood — First  Yoyage  down  the 
Ohio  River 9 

CHAPTER   II. 

Arrival  at  Hopson's  Choice — The  Yoyage  continued  to  Lou-     \^ 
isiana — Placed  in  a  French  Family — Learns  the  French 
Language,  and  entirely  forgets  the  English  .         .         .17 

CHAPTER   III. 
Residence  at  St.  Genevieve — Departure  from  that  Place       .     24 

CHAPTER    lY. 

Yoyage  up  the  Ohio — Great  Hubbub  among  the  Fishes — 
Sufferings  from  the  want  of  Provisions — Buffaloes — 
Naval  Fight  with  a  Bear— Left  at  Gallipolis  .         .     28 

CHAPTER   Y. 

Residence  at  Gallipolis — Character  of  Dr.  Saugrain,  and 
some  Account  of  the  Place  —  Distresses  experienced 
there — Arrival  of  General  AVilkinson  and  Family — De- 
parts with  him  and  arrives  at  Pittsburg  .         .         .34 

CHAPTER   YI. 

The   Author's   Education — Narrowly  escapes  the  Dangers 

from  Wicked  Associates 43 

(V) 


vi  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEE    VII. 

Pittsburg  Thirty  Years  ago — Eeminiscences         .        .        .59 

CHAPTER   VII  I. 

Account  of  the  Author's  Education  continued — Is  placed  as 

a  Clerk  in  an  Office — Various  Studies     .         .         .         .68 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Legal  Studies — First  Court  held  in  a  new  County         .         .     76 

CHAPTER    X. 

The  Author  continues  his  Study  of  the  Law — Dcistical  Fal- 
lacies— Spends  some  time  at  Jefferson  College — Death 
of  Mr.  Bates  in  a  Duel 83 

CHAPTER   XL 

Returns  to  Pittsburg — Joins  a  Law  Society,  and  gives  an 
Account  of  his  Process  of  Preparation  for  a  Speech — 
Admission  to  the  Bar  and  Debut — Character  of  the 
Pittsburg  Bar — Aaron  Burr 91 

CHAPTER    XII. 

The  Author  leaves  Pittsburg — Adventure  of  the  Bee-Hun- 
ter— Arrives  at  Carlisle  and  resumes  his  Studies — Mys- 
terious Voice — Goes  to  Baltimore 105 

CHAPTER   XIIL 

Arrives  in  Baltimore — Visits  the  Theater — Introduction  to 
the  Bar  —  The  Difficulty  of  getting  into  Practice — 
Moyens  d'y  Parvenir 118 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

The  Author  gives  up  all  Hope  of  getting  into  Practice — He 

becomes  a  Man  of  Fashion  and  of  Pleasure    .         .         .127 


CONTENTS.  vii 

CHAPTEE    XY. 

The  Bar  of  Baltimore  Twenty  Years  ago — Political  Excite- 
ments— The  Author  hears  of  a  Place  with  but  one  Law- 
yer, and  immediately  resolves  to  set  out  for  it        .         .  137 

CHAPTEE    XYI. 

The  Author  surveys  the  New  Scene  of  Action — Begins  a 

Professional  Career — Useful  Hints  to  Young  Lawyers.  147 

CHAPTEE   XYIL 

The  Author  finds  Somerset  but  a  Eesting-place — Eesolves 
to  seek  the  Great  West — Eeminiscences — Philip  Dod- 
dridge— Digression  about  the  Capitol  at  "Washington — 
A  Nondescript  Frenchman     ......  161 

CHAPTEE   XYIII. 

Yoyage  down  the  Ohio — Disappointment  at  Gallipolis  .        .  172 

CHAPTEE  XIX. 

A  Disturbance  in  the  Wigwam — New  Madrid — An  inter- 
esting Family — Late  News  of  Braddock's  Defeat — St. 
Genevieve — An  Incident  worthy  of  Eomance         .         ,184 

CHAPTEE   XX. 
Scenes  of  Childhood 202 

CHAPTEE    XXL 

Journey  to  the  Lead  Mines — Mode  of  settling  Disputes  a 

I'amiable  ....  ....  209 

CHAPTEE   XXII. 

Journey  from  the  Mines  to  St.  Louis      .     \^.         .         .        .   216 


viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTEE   XXIII. 

Touch  of  Knight-errantry  and  Adventures — Arrives  at  St. 

Louis 222 

CHAPTEE   XXI Y. 

A  slight  Survey  of  the  Coast — Herr  Shewe  /       .         .         .  229 

CHAPTEE   XXV. 

The  Circuit — Incidents — Eevisits  New  Madrid    .         .         ,  235 

CHAPTEE   XXVI. 

The  Indian  Culprit— The  Trial— The  Defense       .         .         .242 

CHAPTEE   XXVII. 

The  Author  adopts  a  Literary  Freedom — Western  Antiqui- 
ties— Singular  Coincidence  of  certain  Passages  of  Differ- 
ent Authors 253 

CHAPTEE   XXVIII. 

Bad  Consequences  of  Good  Society — A  Constructive  Quarrel 

and  Eatal  Duel  between  two  Friends      ....  260 

CHAPTEE   XXIX. 

.     Departure  from  St.  Louis — The  Place  revisited  after  an  In- 
terval of  Ten  Years — Shewe — Melanthy         .         .         .  267 

Appendix 275 


RECOLLECTIONS 


PLACES  AND  PERSONS  IN  THE  WEST. 


CHAPTER  I. 

The  Aiit.bor  begins  with  his  Birth,  where  Men  generally  begin — 
Incidents  of  Childhood — First  Yoyage  down  the  Ohio  Kiver. 

Every  one  thinks  the  story  of  his  own  life  more  curious 
and  better  worth  relating  than  that  of  his  neighbor ;  per- 
haps, because  he  is  more  intimately  acquainted  with  its 
incidents,  and  more  fully  impressed  with  their  importance. 
Jean  Jacques  Rousseau  only  deceived  himself  when  he  so 
eloquently  announced  that,  if  not  better  than  other  men, 
he  was  at  least  different  from  them.  Originals,  very  like 
the  copy  he  has  given,  may  be  found  in  the  possession  of 
many  others  of  the  children  of  Adam.  There  is,  doubtless, 
a  great  diversity  in  human  character,  as  well  as  in  occu- 
pations and  pursuits  ;  but  monsters  and  prodigies  are  rare, 
and  it  is  that  which  makes  them  such.  Yet,  the  most 
humble  and  common  subjects,  when  delineated  by  the  pen 
of  a  Goldsmith,  may  be  rendered  classical ;  according  to 
Boileau : 

II  n'y  a  point  de  serpens,  ni  monstre  hideux, 
Par  I'art  imite  ne  puisse  plaire  aux  yeux. 

There  is  no  snake,  there  is  no  monster  vile, 
Pictured  by  art,  that  may  not  please  the  while. 

2  (9) 


1 0  BRA  C KEN  RID  GE'S 

I  shall,  therefore,  offer  no  apology  for  this  attempt,  although 
not  possessed  of  the  magic  pen  of  Goldsmith,  but  I  foresee 
no  small  inconvenience  from  the  frequent  recurrence  of  the 
personal  pronoun  ego. 

To  begin  with  my  birth,  where  men  generally  begin :  that 
event  took  place  about  the  year  1786,  at  the  very  fountain 
or  source  of  the  noble  River  Ohio  (that  is,  if  we  consider 
such  the  spot  where  its  name  first  attaches),  where  stood 
the  village  of  Fort  Pitt,  now  Pittsburg.  My  father  was 
an  eminent  lawyer,  although  thought  to  be  somewhat  ec- 
centric, with  what  justice  I  shall  not  take  upon  me  to  say  ; 
but  he  always  denied  the  charge,  and  asserted  that  he  was 
the  only  one  of  his  acquaintance  that  was  like  everybody 
else.  My  memory  does  not  recall  to  me  the  features  of  my 
mother,  having  lost  her  before  I  was  eighteen  months  old  ; 
and  in  consequence,  my  infan€y  was  cast  upon  the  cbarit}^ 
of  an  uncharitable  world.  Accident  placed  me  in  charge 
of  the  wife  of  a  respectable  cobbler,  my  father's  tenant, 
in  an  adjoining  log-cabin,  where  the  Bank  of  Pittsburg  now 
stands,  and  where  I  fared  as  well  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected:  that  is,  I  was  half  starved,  half  clad,  and  well 
scorched  and  meazled  in  the  hot  ashes  and  embers.  Her 
son  Joe  was  my  nurse ;  that  is,  it  was  his  particular 
l)usiness  to  attend  to  me,  and  he  became  much  attached  to 
his  nursling.  He  had  a  genius  for  all  kinds  of  mischief, 
and  loved  the  busy  idleness  of  marble-playing,  or  hustle- 
cap,  generally  taking  me  along  with  him,  while  he  defended 
me  from  all  harm  with  the  affection  and  ferocity  of  a 
tiger, 

A  lady  (whom  I  must  always  remember  with  more 
than  gratitude),  at  whose  house  my  father  had  taken  up 
his  abode,  called  to  see  me,  was  touched  with  compassion 
for  rny  situation,  and,  with  the  consent  of  my  parent,  re- 
solved to  take  charge  of  me  herself,  and  accordingly  had 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  H 

me  brouGrbt  to  her  house.  My  appearance  was  at  first  so 
unpromising'  that  she  ahiiost  repented  the  step  she  had 
taken ;  but  a  favorable  change  was  soon  effected  by  a 
course  of  gentle  treatment.  Having  no  children  of  her 
own  at  that  time,  she  conceived  for  me  the  affection  of  a 
mother.  My  father's  time  was  chiefly  passed  at  his  office 
in  the  village  ;  and  being  entirely  devoted  to  books  and 
business,  he  took  little  notice  of  me,  until  he  heard 
very  favorable  accounts  of  my  capacity.  When  turned 
of  two  years  old,  I  was  one  day  carried  to  church,  and 
being  struck  with  what  I  saw,  attempted  on  my  return  to 
imitate  the  clergyman,  putting  my  hands  together,  shut- 
ting my  eyes,  and  repeating  some  of  his  words.  My 
father,  who  was  too  much  of  a  philosopher  to  be  moved 
by  the  mere  yearnings  of  nature,  was  delighted  with  the 
discovery  of  an  improvable  intellect.  As  I  came  playing 
about  his  chair,  he  took  his  eyes  from  his  book  and 
addressed  me  as  follows:  "Well,  boy,  can  you  do  any- 
thing for  your  living  ?"  "  I  can  make  shoes,"  was  my 
reply,  and  then  went  through  the  motions  of  my  foster, 
father  the  cobbler.  "You  must  learn  to  read,"  said  he, 
and  accordingly  procured  me  a  horn-book.  But,  alas!  the 
inconsiderate  cruelty  of  forcing  a  playful  child,  not  three 
years  old,  to  the  hard  task  of  constant  application  !  A  dis- 
gust to  letters  might  have  been  occasioned,-  as  lasting  as 
life.  My  screams  on  these  occasions  generally  summoned 
my  generous  protectress,  who  interposed  and  saved  me 
from  the  rod,  but  not  from  the  terror,  or  from  that  feeling 
too  closely  allied  to  fear.  Parents  usually  err  on  the  side 
of  indulgence,  and  it  is  seldom  necessary  to  caution  them 
against  that  harsh  and  unkind  treatment  whose  tendency 
is  to  destroy  the  bud  of  filial  love. 

Three  of  my  infant  years  thus  glided  away,  like  a  fount- 
ain rivulet,  in  that  delightful  spot  on  Grant's  Hill,  where 


1 2  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

the  ancient  Indian  mound,  with  its  summer-honse,  over- 
looks the  pellucid  current  of  the  Alleghany,  uniting  with 
its  turbid  Ijrother,  the  Monongahela,  to  form  the  source  of 
the  Ohio.  These  beautiful  rivers,  and  the  varied  and 
charming  landscape  to  the  east,  and  the  mountain-like 
appearance  of  Coal  Hill,  made  the  first,  as  well  as  the 
most  lasting  impressions  on  my  memory.  Before  the 
surrounding  atmosphere  was  obscured  by  those  volumes 
of  smoke,  the  whole  world  might  have  been  challenged  to 
produce  a  more  ^beautiful  scene.  Yet,  in  general,  the 
recollections  of  infancy  are  but  few — I  mean  the  recol- 
lections of  maturer  j'ears,  of  what  transpired  in  infancy. 
I  remember  the  bite  of  a  large  dog,  directly  under  my  left 
eye,  and  the  application  of  some  of  his  hair  to  the  wound. 
1  remember  an  alarm  of  Indians,  and  people  running  to 
and  fro  in  the  night.  I  remember  the  lonely,  mournful 
sound  of  the  cow-bells  in  the  little  valley  of  Suke's  Run  ; 
and  I  remember  a  few  doses  of  nauseous  doctor's  stuff, 
administered  to  me  by  Dr.  Nathaniel  Bedford,  and  his 
partner  Dr.  Mowry, — but  as  to  everything  else,  they  are 
scarcely  as  distinct  as  the  traces  of  a  forgotten  dream. 

When  I  was  five  years  old,  my  parent  espoused  the 
daughter  of  a  respectable  German  farmer,  and  justice  of 
the  peace  or  'squire  (according  to  the  Pennsylvania  idiom), 
and  I  was  taken  from  the  good  lady  who  had  adopted  me. 
It  was  not  long  after  this,  before  my  travels  began.  My 
step-grandfather  carried  me  to  the  country,  and  there  I 
was  placed  at  school,  or  rather  went  to  school,  at  the  dis- 
tance of  two  or  three  miles.  I  soon  learned  to  speak  the 
German  language  like  the  rest  of  the  family,  that  is  to 
say,  not  in  its  greatest  purity.  The  good  old  squire  was 
very  fond  of  me,  and  once,  when  my  fingers  and  toes  were 
frost-bitten  in  coming  from  school,  took  me  to  his  dis- 
tillery and  thawed  them  by  immersion  in  cold  water.     I 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  13 

will  here,  by  way  of  parenthesis,  stop  to  relate  that  which 
does  him  much  credit.  Lon«»'  before  the  establishment  <»f 
temperance  societies,  he  shut  up  his  distillery,  from  a 
conviction  that  he  could  not  conscientiously  manufacture 
a  liquid  which  tempts  so  many  to  destroy  their  health 
and  morals.  The  most  prominent  incident  which  fixed 
itself  in  my  memory  was  the  barring  out  of  the  school- 
master at  Christmas,  in  order  to  bring  him  to  terms  on 
the  subject  of  the  holiday.  He  made  many  and  fearful 
attempts  to  take  the  castle  by  assault,  but  without  success, 
and  at  last  essayed  to  come  down  the  wooden  chimney  of 
the  log-cabin,  but  the  fire  below,  showers  of  hot  ashes, 
and  pointed  firebrands  soon  caused  him  to  reascend.  He 
finally  yielded  to  the  demand  of  two  weeks,  doubtless 
much  against  his  will. 

The  good  squire  brought  me  back  to  Pittsburg,  riding 
behind  him  on  horseback  1  remember  the  smell  of  the 
coal-smoke  in  coming  down  Coal  Hill,  and  was  pleased 
with  the  appearance  of  the  sycamores  growing  along  the 
bank  of  the  Monongahela,  with  the  milk-white  bark  of 
their  trunks  and  branches.  My  father  seemed  pleased 
with  my  speaking  the  German,  which  would  not  have 
been  the  case  if  he  had  understood  the  language.  He 
always  entertained  a  very  high  idea  of  the  imiK>rtancc  of 
this  kind  of  acquirement,  and  would  often  repeat  the  say- 
ing, which  I  think  is  ascribed  to  Louis  XIV.,  "that  a 
man  doubles  himself  by  learning  another  language." 
For  this  reason,  or  perhaps  in  consequence  of  some  origi- 
nal plan  of  education,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  sending  me 
to  a  French  village  in  Louisiana,  in  order  to  pass  the  time 
in  acquiring  that  important  language,  which  might  other- 
wise have  been  spent  in  rolling  hoops  or  playing  marbles 
in  the  street.  A  French  gentleman  of  his  acquaintance 
was  about  to  visit  St.  Genevieve,  a  village  on  the  Missis- 

2* 


14  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

sippi,  and  consented  to  take  me  with  him.  Without  re- 
garding the  distance,  which  was  fifteen  hundred  miles, 
through  a  wilderness,  and  at  that  time  the  theater  of  a 
bloody  Indian  war,  it  was  resolved  to  seize  the  oppor- 
tunity which  presented  itself  of  executing  his  design.  It 
was  therefore  settled  that  I  should  accompany  the  French 
gentleman,  who  engaged  to  place  me  in  a  French  family, 
where  I  might  learn  the  language  vernacularly.  Although 
nothing  could  have  been  better  intended  than  this  meas- 
ure, it  is  one  which  few  persons  will  approve.  It  is  true 
I  learned  the  French  language,  from  which  I  afterward 
derived  both  pleasure  and  advantage,  and  it  was  my  for- 
tune to  fall  into  good  hands ;  but  it  might  have  been 
otherwise.  The  risk  I  ran  was  certainly  great,  both  to 
my  future  character  and  personal  safety ;  and  it  is  very 
questionable  whether  the  advantages  to  be  expected  were 
equivalent  to  that  risk.  Although  I  escaped  many 
dangers,  both  physical  and  moral,  yet  I  think  it  probable 
that  a  direction  was  given  to  my  feelings  rather  unfavor- 
able to  my  success  in  life. 

It  must  have  been  in  the  spring  of  the  year  when  I 
left  Pittsburg,  for  the  water  was  high,  and  I  recollect 
seeing  some  garden-flowers  growing  wild,  at  a  place 
called  Legionville,*  where  General  Wayne  had  passed 
the  summer  the  year  before.  When  I  went  into  the  flat- 
boat,  poor  Joe  could  with  difficulty  be  prevented  from 
accompanying  me  ;  he  wept  bitterly  and  embraced  me 
affectionately. 

With  the  exception  of  the  French  gentleman  in  whose 
charge  I  was  placed,  my  companions,  at  least  for  a  con- 
sideraljle  part  of  the  way,  were,  of  all  others,  the  most 
likely  to  be  pernicious  to  a  child  of  my  age;  they  con- 

"^  Now  occupied  by  the  followers  of  Kapp. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  16 

sisted  of  common  sokliers,  to  the  number  of  thirty,  under 
the  command  of  an  ensign,  and  were  on  their  way  to  the 
army.  The  danger  from  Indians  was  diminished,  but  this 
was  scarcely  sufficient  to  compensate  for  such  familiarity 
and  contact  with  vice.  It  was  fortunate  for  me  that,  owing 
to  the  high  waters,  this  part  of  our  voyage  was  short  in 
its  duration,  although  the  distance  was  five  hundred  miles. 
A  little  incident  also  happened  shortly  after  our  depart- 
ure, which  placed  me  at  some  distance  from  my  com- 
panions of  the  voyage.  My  trunk  was  broken  open,  and 
six  shillings  in  silver,  which  had  purchased  my  consent 
to  depart  from  my  native  spot,  were  taken  out  by  one 
unknown.  The  soldiers  were  suspected ;  the  ensign,  who 
was  indignant,  made  strict  search  to  no  purpose,  and  on 
receiving  some  insolent  language  from  a  corporal  or  ser- 
geant, drew  his  sword,  struck  him  over  the  head — the 
purple  stream  followed  the  blow.  Such  circumstances 
stamp  themselves  strongly  on  the  infant  mind,  and  I 
ascribe  to  it  a  dislike  which  I  have  to  military  discipline. 
I  can  recollect  but  few  particulars  of  the  voyage.  In 
my  childish  simplicity,  I  thought  we  had  reached  the  end 
of  the  river  when  we  came  to  a  part  where  the  stream 
turns  suddenly  to  the  left,  apparently  presenting  a  baiTier 
of  hills  athwart  its  course.  Being  by  this  time  tired  of 
the  voyage,  I  asked  them  to  take  me  back.  In  the  even- 
ing I  was  put  to  a  new  trial ;  a  piece  of  fat  pork,  choco- 
late in  a  tin  cup,  and  some  ship-biscuit  were  given  to  me 
for  supper.  The  fat  meat  disgusted  me  ;  the  chocolate 
was  unpalatable ;  but  being  afraid  to  make  known  these 
anti})athies,  the  offensive  mess  was  privately  thrown  over- 
board. I  soon  found,  however,  that  there  is  no  cure  like 
starving  for  an  overdelicate  appetite;  and  after  awhile 
my  disgust  was  gradually  placed  under  control.  I  con- 
sider this  a  valuable  practical  lesson.   How  many  a  spoilt 


16  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

child  have  I  seen,  who  might  be  cured  by  the  discipline 
of  the  flat-boat ! 

If  we  anal3^ze  the  unhappiness  of  most  men,  we  shall 
find  that  these  miseries  of  life,  a  bad  breakfast,  a  dis- 
agreeable bed,  or  an  uncomfortable  chair,  form  the  greater 
part  of  it.  How  important  then  to  learn,  in  early  youth, 
to  diminish,  as  much  as  possible,  the  number  of  its  essen- 
tials. To  endure  with  resignation,  to  bear  patiently,  to 
be  content  in  the  midst  of  privation, — in  short,  to  make  the 
best  of  the  worst  situations,  are  obligations  which  belong 
to  the  wretched  ;  yet  their  practice  will  place  the  wretched 
above  those  who  are  unhappy  in  the  midst  of  all  the 
pleasures  of  life.     Adversity — 

like  the  toad, 
Ugly  and  venomous,  wears  yet  a  precious 
Jewel  in  its  head. 

I  do  not  mean  the  deeper  anguish  of  the  mind,  the  dis- 
appointments of  the  heart, — philosophy  herself  can  do 
but  little  for  these ;  but  the  everyday  sufferings,  from 
what  the  French  would  call  les  desagremens  de  la  vie. 
By  the  former  a  morbid  sensibility  is  occasioned,  which 
may  render  us  less  contented  and  humble,  and  less  fitted 
to  perform  our  moral  and  religious  duties.  There  is,  how- 
ever, much  in  the  power  of  every  one,  in  cultivating  a 
cheerful  temper,  which  has  been  called  "  a  perpetual  hymn 
of  thanksgiving  to  the  Creator." 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  H 


CHAPTER    II. 

Arrival  at  Hopson's  Choice — The  Yoyage  continued  to  Louisiana 
— Phiced  in  a  French  Family — Learns  the  French  Language, 
and  entirely  forgets  the  English. 

In  ten  days  we  reached  the  encampment  of  General 
Wayne,  at  a  place  called  Hopson's  Choice,  now  a  part  of 
the  City  of  Cincinnati.  I  have  no  distinct  recollection  of 
the  appearance  of  the  Ohio  River  in  the  course  of  our  de- 
scent, except  that,  instead  of  being  enlivened  by  towns 
and  farms  along  its  banks,  it  was  a  woody  wilderness, 
shut  in  to  the  water's  edge.  At  that  time,  the  fair  city, 
which  now  vies  with  the  most  ancient  seats  of  civilization 
and  the  arts  on  this  continent,  ivas  not.  Excepting  the 
openings  and  clearings  made  for  the  camp,  the  ground 
was  covered  by  lofty  trees  and  entangled  vines. 

My  recollections  of  the  army  are  also  indistinct:  the 
beating  of  drums,  the  clangor  of  trumpets,  and  the  move- 
ments of  horse  and  foot,  still  pass  through  my  memory, 
but  not  so  clearly  distinguishable  as  the  shadows  of  the 
phantasmagoria.  In  fact,  we  remained  here  but  a  few 
days,  when  we  floated  off  again  into  the  stream ;  our 
party  now  consisting  of  my  guardian  (as  I  will  call  him) 
and  another  man,  and  a  little  boy  about  my  own  age.  We 
now  proceeded  as  silently  as  we  could,  keeping,  as  near 
as  possible,  on  the  Kentucky  side  of  the  river,  from  ap- 
prehension of  the  Indians.  How  deep  a  solitude  at  that 
day  reigned  along  the  beautiful  banks  of  the  Ohio!  The 
l)assage  to  Louisville  from  Pittsburg  at  that  period  was 
dangerous,  and  frequent  murders  were  committed  by  In- 


r 


1 8  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

dians  on  whole  families  descending  the  river, — a  danger 
which  was  not  sufficient  to  repress  emigration. 

I  do  not  remember  Louisville,  or  "  the  Falls"  as  the 
place  was  then  called ;  the  waters  being  high,  the  rapids 
were  probably  not  visible,  and  the  boat  passed  over  them 
as  over  any  other  part  of  the  river.  From  this  place  to 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  about  five  hundred  miles,  the 
banks  presented  an  uninterrupted  wilderness  ;  the  soli- 
tude was  not  disturbed  by  a  single  human  voice  out  of 
our  boat.  We  encountered  a  river  storm,  not  many  miles 
from  the  Mississippi ;  the  waves  tossed  us  about,  and 
dashed  over  the  sides  of  the  boat,  threatening  either  to 
overwhelm  us,  or  to  cast  us  on  a  desert  shore.  What  a 
contrast  to  the  gentle  Ohio,  was  presented  when  we  en- 
tered the  current  of  the  mighty  "father  of  rivers,"  with 
his  prodigious  volume  rolling  in  turbid  eddies  and  whirls, 
with  whole  forests  of  driftwood  on  his  surface  !  We  were 
swiftly  hurried  along,  and  soon  reached  L^ance  a  la 
Gresse,  or  New  Madrid,  the  termination  of  our  voyage. 
This  place  was  then  a  small  Spanish  military  post ;  as  wc 
approached  the  landing,  a  soldier  or  officer  made  his  ap- 
pearance on  the  bank,  and  flourished  his  sword  with  a 
fierce,  consequential  air ;  all  this  for  the  purpose  of  indi- 
cating the  place  for  us  to  land. 

I  was  placed  in  a  French  or  Spanish  family  for  a  cou- 
ple of  weeks,  during  which  time  I  saw  nothing  of  my 
guardian.  Although  it  was  an  agreeable  circumstance 
to  be  once  more  on  firm  land,  and  have  room  to  run 
about,  yet  I  was  among  strangers,  whose  language  I  did 
not  understand,  and  my  fare  was  not  as  good  as  that  I 
might  have  expected  il"  I  had  been  apprenticed  to  an  an- 
chorite. Coarse  black  bread,  a  kind  of  catfish  soup,  hot 
with  pepper,  and  seasoned  with  garlic,  was  almost  the 
only  food  they  gave  me.     When  I  look  back,  the  time 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  19 

spent  at  this  dreary  place  seems  to  be  a  black  speck  in 
my  past  life.  In  the  mean  time,  my  guardian  was  proba- 
bly making  preparations  for  a  journey  through  the  wil- 
derness, to  the  settlements  of  Upper  Louisiana,  or  the 
Illinois,  as  they  were  called,  and  I  was  glad  when  he 
came  to  take  me  away. 

He  had  procured  horses  for  himself  and  his  guide,  and 
a  small  pony  for  me.  A  supply  of  provisions  was  pro- 
vided, a  part  packed  on  each  horse,  with  a  coffee-pot,  tin 
cups,  and  a  hatchet,  the  usual  outfits  of  travelers  through 
the  wilderness.  A  blanket  for  each  was  all  our  bedding, 
and,  there  being  no  houses  on  the  way,  we  took  our  chance 
for  the  weather.  Many  years  afterward  I  traveled  over 
the  same  way,  passed  the  same  swamps,  and  swam  the 
same  streams,  and  a  more  disagreeable  country  to  travel 
over  cannot  easily  be  found  in  the  United  States.  Our 
path  lay  through  an  Indian  village  of  Shawanese,  who 
treated  us  well ;  but  I  trembled  at  the  sight  of  them, 
having  learned  to  look  upon  these  people  as  demons. 
Being  on  Spanish  ground,  they  would  not  have  molested 
us,  even  if  they  had  known  that  we  were  not  Spaniards. 
After  a  week  or  ten  days,  we  arrived,  without  any  mate- 
rial incident,  at  the  village  of  St.  Genevieve,  situated  on 
the  Mississippi,  although  not  immediately  on  its  bank. 

My  guardian  carried  me  directly  to  the  house  of  M. 
Beauvais,  a  respectable  and  comparatively  wealthy  inhab- 
itant of  the  village,  and  then  took  his  departure  the  same 
evening.  Not  a  soul  in  the  village,  except  the  curate, 
understood  a  word  of  English,  and  I  was  possessed  of 
but  two  French  words,  oi(,i  and  7wn.  I  sallied  into  the 
street,  or  rather  highway,  for  the  houses  were  far  apart, 
a  large  space  ])eing  occupied  for  yards  and  gardens  l)y 
each.  I  so(jn  found  a  crowd  of  boys  at  play;  curiosity 
drew  them  around  me,  and  many  questions  were  put  by 


20  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

them,  which  I  answered  alternately  with  the  aid  of  the 
before-mentioned  monosyllables.  "Where  have  you  come 
from?"  "Yes."  "What  is  your  name  ?"  "No."  To 
the  honor  of  these  boys  be  it  spoken,  or  ratheY  to  the 
honor  of  their  parents,  who  had  taught  them  true  polite- 
ness,— instead  of  turning  me  into  ridicule  as  soon  as  they 
discovered  I  was  a  strange  boy,  they  vied  with  each  other 
in  showing  me  every  act  of  kindness. 

M.  Bcauvais  was  a  tall,  dry,  old  French  Canadian, 
dressed  i^  the  costume  of  the  place:  that  is,  with  a  blue 
cotton  handkerchief  on  his  head,  one  corner  thereof  de- 
scending behind  and  partly  covering  the  eel-skin  which 
bound  his  hair,  a  check  shirt,  coarse  linen  pantaloons  on 
his  hips,  and  the  Indian  sandal  or  moccasin,  the  only 
covering  to  the  feet  worn  here  by  both  sexes.  He  was 
a  man  of  a  grave  and  serious  aspect,  entirely  unlike  the 
gay  Frenchman  we  are  accustomed  to  see ;  and  this  seri- 
ousness was  not  a  little  heightened  by  the  fixed  rigidity 
of  the  maxillary  muscles,  occasioned  by  having  his  pipe 
continuall}^  in  his  mouth,  except  while  in  bed,  or  at  mass, 
or  during  meals.  Let  it  not  be  supposed  that  I  mean  to 
speak  disrespectfully,  or  with  levity,  of  a  most  estimable 
man ;  my  object  in  describing  him  is  to  give  an  idea  of 
many  other  fathers  of  families  of  the  village.  Madame 
Bcauvais  was  a  large  fat  lady,  with  an  open  cheerful 
countenance,  and  an  expression  of  kindness  and  affection 
to  her  numerous  offspring,  and  to  all  others  excepting  her 
colored  domestics,  toward  whom  she  was  rigid  and  severe. 
She  was,  notwithstanding,  a  most  pious  and  excellont 
woman,  and,  as  a  French  wife  ought  to  be,  completely 
mistress  of  the  family.  Iler  eldest  daughter  was  an  inter- 
esting young  woman ;  two  others  were  nearly  grown, 
and  all  were  handsome.  I  will  trespass  a  little  on  the 
patience  of  the  reader  to  give  some  account  of  the  place 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  21 

where  I  was  domiciliated ;  that  is,  of  the  house  in  which 
I  lived,  and  of  the  village  in  which  it  was  situated. 

The  house  of  M.  Beauvais  was  a  long,  low  building, 
with  a  porch  or  shed  in  front  and  another  in  the  rear ; 
the  chimney  occupied  the  center,  dividing  the  house  into 
two  parts,  with  each  a  fireplace.  One  of  these  served  for 
dining-room,  parlor,  and  principal  bed-chamber ;  the  other 
was  the  kitchen ;  and  each  had  a  small  room  tak^n  off  at  the 
end  for  private  chambers  or  cabinets.  There  wds  no  loft  or 
garret,  a  pair  of  stairs  being  a  rare  thing  in  the  village. 
The  furniture,  excepting  the  beds  and  the  looking-glass, 
was  of  the  most  common  kind,  consisting  of  an  armoire,  a 
rough  table  or  two,  and  some  coarse  chairs.  The  yard  was 
inclosed  with  cedar  pickets,  eight  or.ten  inches  in  diameter 
and  seven  feet  high,  placed  upright,  e^arj^ened  at  the  top,  in 
the  manner  of  a  stockade  fort.  In  front  the  yard  was  nar- 
row, but  in  the  rear  quite  spacious,  and  containing  the  l)arn 
and  stables,  the  negro  quarters,  and  all  the  necessary  offices 
of  a  farm-yard.  Beyond  this  there  was  a  spacious  garden 
inclosed  with  pickets  in  the  same  manner  with  the  yard. 
It  was,  indeed,  a  garden — in  which  the  greatest  variety 
and  the  finest  vegetables  were  cultivated,  intermingled 
with  flowers  and  shrubs:  on  one  side  of  it  there  was 
a  small  orchard  containing  a  variety  of  the  choicest  fruits. 
The  substantial  and  permanent  character  of  these  inclo- 
sures  is  in  singular  contrast  with  the  slight  and  temporary 
fences  and  palings  of  the  Americans,  The  house  was  a 
ponderous  wooden  frame,  which,  instead  of  being  weather- 
boarded,  was  filled  in  with  cla}^,  and  then  whitewashed. 
As  to  the  living,  the  table  was  provided  in  a  very  differ- 
ent manner  from  that  of  the  generality  of  Americans. 
With  the  poorest  French  peasant,  cookery  is  an  art  well 
understood.  They  make  great  use  of  vegetables,  and 
prepared  in  a  manner  to  be  wholesome  and  palatable. 

3 


22  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

Instead  of  roast  and  fried  they  had  soups,  and  fricassees, 
and  gumbos  (a  dish  supposed  to  be  derived  from  the 
Africans),  and  a  variety  of  other  dishes.  Tea  was  not 
used  at  meals,  and  coffee  for  breakfast  was  the  privilege 
of  M.  Beauvais  only. 

From  the  description  of  this  house  some  idea  may  be 
formed  of  the  rest  of  the  village.  The  pursuits  of  the 
inhabitants  were  chiefly  agricultural,  although  all  were 
more  or  less  engaged  in  traffic  for  peltries  with  the  Indians, 
or  in  working  the  lead-mines  in  the  interior.  But  few  of 
them  were  mechanics,  and  there  were  but  two  or  three  small 
shops,  which  retailed  a  fewgrocei'ies.  Peltry,  beaver  skins, 
and  lead  constituted  almost  the  only  circulating  medium. 
All  politics  or  discussions  of  the  affairs  of  government 
were  entirely  unknown :  the  commandant  took  care  of 
all  that  sort  of  thing.  But  instead  of  them,  the  processions 
and  ceremonies  of  the  church,  and  the  public  balls,  fur- 
nished ample  matter  for  occupation  and  amusement. 
Their  agriculture  was  carried  on  in  a  field  of  several 
thousand  acres,  in  the  fertile  river-bottom  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, inclosed  at  the  common  expense,  and  divided  into 
lots  separated  by  some  natural  or  permanent  boundary. 
Horses  or  cattle,  depastured,  were  tethered  with  long 
ropes,  or  the  grass  was  cut  and  carried  to  them  in  their 
stalls.  It  was  a  pleasing  sight,  to  mark  the  rural  popu- 
lation going  and  returning,  morning  and  evening,  to  and 
from  the  field,  with  their  working  cattle,  carts,  old- 
fashioned  wheel -plows,  and  other  implements  of  hus- 
bandry. Whatever  they  may  have  gained  in  some  re- 
spects, I  question  very  much  whether  the  change  of  gov- 
ernment has  contributed  to  increase  their  happiness. 
About  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off,  there  was  a  village  of 
Kickapoo  Indians,  who  lived  on  the  most  friendly  terms 
with  the  white    people.      The   boys  often  intermingled 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  23 

with  those  of  the  white  villag:o,  and  practiced  shooting 
with  the  bow  and  arrow;  here  I  got  a  little  smattering  of 
the  Indian  language,  which  I  forgot  on  leaving  the  place. 

Such  was  the  place,  and  the  kind  of  people,  among 
whom  I  was  about  to  pass  some  of  the  most  important 
years  of  my  life,  and  which  would  naturally  extend  a 
lasting  influence  over  me.  A  little  difficulty  occurred 
very  soon  after  my  arrival,  which  gave  some  uneasiness 
to  Madame  Bcauvais.  She  felt  some  repugnance  at  put- 
ting a  little  heretic  into  the  same  bed  with  her  own  chil- 
dren. This  was  soon  set  right  by  the  good  curate,  Pere 
St.  Pierre,  who  made  a  Christian  of  me,  M.  and  Madame 
Beauvais  becoming  my  sponsors,  by  which  a  relationship 
was  established  almost  as  strong  as  that  formed  by  the 
ties  of  consanguinity.  Ever  after  this,  they  permitted 
me  to  address  them  by  the  endearing  names  of  father 
and  mother ;  and  more  affectionate,  careful,  and  anxious 
parents  I  could  not  have  had.  It  was  such  as  even  to 
excite  a  kind  of  jealousy  among  some  of  their  own  chil- 
dren. They  were  strict  and  exemplary  Catholics  ;  so  in- 
deed were  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  village.  Madame 
Beauvais  caused  me  every  night  to  kneel  by  her  side,  to 
say  mj pater  noster  and  credo,  and  then  whispered  those 
gentle  admonitions  which  sink  deep  into  the  heart.  To 
the  good  seed  thus  early  sown  I  may  ascribe  any  growth 
of  virtue  in  a  soil  that  might  otherwise  have  produced 
only  noxious  weeds. 

But  a  few  days  elapsed  after  my  arrival  before  I  was 
sent  to  the  village  school,  where  I  began  to  spell  and 
read  French  before  I  understood  the  language.  My  pro- 
gress was  such  that,  in  a  few  weeks,  I  learned  to  read 
and  speak  the  language,  and  it  is  singular  enough  that 
half  a  year  had  scarcely  elapsed  before  I  had  entirely 
forgotten  my  native    tongue,  a  consequence  which   had 


24  BRACKENRTDGE'S 

not,  most  certainly,  been  foreseen  by  my  father,  who  ex- 
pected that  I  should  be  possessed  of  two  langua^ues  in- 
stead of  one,  and  who  could  not  have  supposed  that  I 
should  be  sent  home  a  French  boy  to  learn  English.  So 
completely  had  every  trace  disappeared  from  my  memory, 
with  the  exception  of  the  words  yes  and  no,  that  when 
sent  for  occasionally  to  act  as  interpreter  to  some  stray 
Anglo-American,  the  little  English  boy,  le  j^etit  Anglais, 
as  they  called  me,  could  not  comprehend  a  single  word 
beyond  the  two  monosyllables. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Kesidence  at  St.  Genevieve — Departure  from  that 'place. 

During  the  remainder  of  my  sojourn  at  St.  Genevieve, 
very  little  else  occurred  than  the  ordinary  incidents  of 
boyhood.  At  school,  on  a  public  examination,  I  was  de- 
clared the  best  reader,  and  the  prize,  consisting  of  minia- 
ture teacups  and  saucers,  awarded  me.  From  the  nature 
of  the  prize,  the  presumption  is  it  was  intended  for  the 
other  sex.  No  displeasure  was  manifested  by  the  parents 
who  were  present ;  on  the  contrary,  they  caressed  me  in 
the  most  affectionate  manner.  In  spite  of  my  outlandish 
origin,  I  had  become  a  general  favorite  or  pet.  The  priest 
had  chosen  me  as  one  of  the  boys  appointed  to  serve  at 
the  altar,  which  was  no  small  honor,  and  besides,  entitled 
me  to  a  larger  share  of  the  pain  heni,  or  blessed  bread. 
I  carried  my  prize  home,  and  gave  it  to  little  Zouzou,  a 
child  in  the  cradle. 

Alter  the  afternoon  mass,  I  sometimes  went  v.ith  other 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF   THE    WEST.  25 

children  to  the  ball,  which  was  by  no  means  a  place  of 
frivolity,  but  rather  a  school  of  manners.  The  children 
of  the  rich  and  poor  were  i)laced  on  a  footing  of  perfect 
equality,  and  the  only  difference  was  a  more  costly,  but 
not  a  cleaner  or  neater  dress.  The  strictest  decorum  and 
propriety  were  preserved  by  the  parents  who  were  pres- 
ent. There  was  as  much  solemnity  and  seriousness  at 
these  assemblies  as  at  our  Sunday  schools;  the  children 
were  required  to  be  seated,  and  no  confusion  or  disorder 
was  permitted.  The  minuet  was  the  principal  dance. 
I  think  it  is  in  some  measure  owing  to  this  practice  that 
the  awkward,  clownish  manners  of  other  nations  are 
scarcely  known  among  the  French.  The  secret  of  true 
politeness,  self-denial,  or  the  giving  the  better  place  to 
others,  was  taught  me  at  these  little  balls,  but  which  I 
have  not  always  found  practically  useful  when  it  has 
not  been  met  by  a  corresponding  self-denial  in  others.  I 
do  not  hesitate  to  give  the  preference  to  our  Sunday 
schools,  which  are  justly  ranked  among  the  greatest  im- 
provements of  the  age.  The  Sunday  balls  of  St.  Gene- 
vieve were,  however,  comparatively  ii\nocent,  and,  in 
other  respects,  the  people  of  the  village,  and  particularly 
Monsieur  and  Madame  Beauvais,  were  rigid  Sabbatarians. 
The  intense  interest  excited  by  the  processions,  and  the 
affairs  of  religion,  can  scarcely  be  imagined  by  the  reader 
who  has  not  resided  in  Catholic  countries,  where  the 
people  are  not  permitted  to  concern  themselves  about 
other  matters  of  a  public  nature.  This  religion  is  admira- 
bly adapted  to  prevent  them  from  becoming  discontented 
under  a  despotism,  as  it  is  calculated  to  occupy  so  miich 
of  their  time  and  attention  as  to  leave  little  for  any  but 
their  private  concerns.  I  remember  how  my  feelings 
were  interested  along  with  the  rest,  and  how  intensely 
they  were  excited  on   these  occasions.     And  yet,  amid 

a* 


20  '        BRACKENRIDGE'S 

these  scenes  I  was  occasionally  troubled  with  a  rebellious 
spirit  of  inquiry,  which,  in  spite  of  myself,  carried  me  to 
strange  conclusions.  Whether  it  was  the  case  with  other 
boys,  I  know  not ;  perhaps  the  frequent  change  of  place 
and  scene  had  produced  a  habit  of  observation  beyond  my 
years.  I  am  about  to  relate  an  incident  which  gave  rise 
in  me  to  something  like  what  Cobbett  calls  *'  a  birth  of  in- 
tellect"— at  least  of  original  thought  or  reflection. 

At  Christmas  eve  it  was  the  custom  to  keep  the  church 
open  all  night,  and  at  midnight  to  say  mass.  On  this 
occasion,  I  found  myself  alone  for  nearly  an  hour  before 
that  time,  seated  on  a  high  chair  or  stool,  with  a  cross  in 
my  hand,  in  front  of  the  altar,  ^yvhich  was  splendidly 
decorated,  and  lighted  with  the  largest  wax  candles  the 
village  could  afford.  My  imagination  was  at  first  filled 
with  an  indescribable  awe  at  the  situation  in  which  I 
was  placed,  and  I  gazed  upon  the  sacred  images  about 
the  altar  as  if  they  were  in  reality  what  they  represented ; 
but  after  the  first  impression  had  passed  away,  I  began 
to  reflect  upon  what  I  was  doing,  and  asked  myself  many 
questions,  to  ivhich  I  could  find  no  satisfactory  answers. 

During  the  second  summer  of  my  residence  at  this 
place  I  was  overtaken  by  a  bilious  fever,  which  had  well- 
nigh  put  an  end  to  all  my  wanderings,  together  with  the 
many  sufferings  and  disappointments,  as  well  as  gratifica- 
tions, of  after-days ;  but  such  was  not  the  will  of  Provi- 
dence. The  village  had  no  physician,  and,  after  the  com- 
mon family  remedies  were  exliausted,  the  disease  was 
permitted  to  run  its  course,  until  there  was  scarcely  suf- 
ficient vitality  left  for  it  to  feed  upon.  The  almost  ex- 
tinguished spark  was  again  nursed  into  life  by  the  extraor- 
dinary attentions  of  Madame  Beauvais  and  her  eldest 
daughter.  To  the  latter  I  had  conceived  a  singular  at- 
tachment; during  my  paroxysm  of  fever,  I  could  not  be 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  27 

satisfiod  until  she  canio  and  reclined  by  my  side.  I  was 
continually  calling  for  her  when  absent,  and  would  take 
nothing  but  from  her  hand.  This  amiable  girl  seemed  to 
be  affected  by  the  fondness  of  my  partiality.  It  was 
some  time  after  the  fever  left  me  before  I  could  walk,  but 
afterward  my  recovery  was  rapid.  This  was  a  season- 
ing which  I  have  no  doubt  was  of  service  to  me  after- 
ward; subsequent  attacks  of  fever,  at  different  periods 
of  my  life,  appearing  in  a  mitigated  form,  and  yielding 
more  readily  to  medicine. 

The  time  now  approached  when  I  was  to  take  my  de- 
parture from  the  place  where  I  had  passed  nearly  three 
happy  infantile  years ;  my  recollections  of  my  father  had 
more  in  them  of  terror  than  of  love,  and  my  affections, 
like  the  young  tendrils  of  the  vine,  had  fastened  on  nearer 
objects,  from  which  they  could  not  be  separated  without 
being  torn.  The  same  gentleman  who  had  before  brought 
me  here  came  to  take  me  away,  and  with  many  tears,  I 
left  the  kind  people  to  whom  I  owed  so  much.  I  owed 
them  much  for  the  care  they  had  taken  of  my  person,  and 
still  more  for  the  pains  with  which  they  had  preserved 
the  health  and  purity  of  my  mind.  I  left  them  with  a 
heart  innocent  and  virtuous,  and  with  impressions  which, 
if  not  indelible,  were  yet  sufficient  to  carry  me  a  long  dis- 
tance through  the  temptations  of  vice  and  folly.  1  was 
taught  to  reverence  my  parents,  to  respect  the  aged,  to 
be  polite  to  my  equals,  and  to  speak  the  truth  to  every 
one.  I  was  taught  to  restrain  my  temper,  to  practice 
self-denial,  to  be  compassionate  to  man  and  beast,  to  re- 
ceive without  murmur  or  complaint  what  was  provided 
for  me,  and  to  be  thankful  to  God  for  every  blessing. 


2  8  BRA  C  KEN  RID  GE '  S 


CHAPTER   lY. 

Voyage  up  the  Ohio— Great  Huhbub  among  the  Fishes— Suffer- 
ings from  the  want  of  Provisions — Buffaloes — ISTaval  Fight 
with  a  Bear — Left  at  Gallipolis. 

The  voyage  before  us  was  of  fifteen  hundred  miles, 
two  hundred  down  the  Mississippi,  the  remainder  of  the 
distance  against  the  current  of  the  Ohio.  Our  boat  was 
of  the  description  commonly  used  for  ascending  the 
western  rivers,  but  of  a  small  size,  and  laden  with  lead 
and  peltries.  My  guardian,  having  some  furs  to  take  in 
at  Kaskaskia,  stopped  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  of  that 
name,  took  out  the  more  bulky  articles,  which  he  left  on 
the  rocky  shore,  and  then  proceeded  up  the  river  with  his 
boat  and  boatmen,  leaving  me,  and  a  gentleman  of  the 
name  of  Power,  in  charge  of  the  goods.  This  was  the 
same  Power  who  figured  in  the  annals  of  the  West  at 
that  day,  and  who  was  employed  as  an  agent,  by  Spain, 
to  bring  about  a  separation  of  the  western  country  from 
the  rest  of  the  Union.  He  was  a  remarkably  handsome 
man,  and  a  perfect  gentleman  in  his  manners.  He  spoke 
the  French  and  Spanish  languages  fluently.  Of  his  his- 
tory I  know  but  little.  On  reading  Mr.  Jefferson's  Me- 
moirs, I  found  that,  about  this  time,  information  had 
been  communicated  to  the  government,  by  my  father,  of 
the  business  Power  was  engaged  in ! 

It  was  now  about  the  middle  of  summer;  the  air  was 
d(!lightfully  mild  and  clear,*  while  nature  was  clad  in  her 
most  luxuriant  robes.  The  shore,  for  some  distance,  was 
a  smooth  rock.     We   gathered   the  wild    pea-vine  and 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  29 

made  ourselves  soft  beds  under  the  shade  of  the  trees, 
which  stretched  their  giant  vine-clad  arms  over  the 
stream.  Flocks  of  screaming  paroquets  frequently  lighted 
over  our  head,  and  the  humming-birds,  attracted  by  the 
neighboring  honeysuckles,  came  whizzing  and  flitting 
around  us,  and  then  flashed  away  again.  Mr.  Power 
had  a  handkerchief  full  of  dollars,  which  he  permitted 
me  to  take  out  and  jingle  on  the  rock.  My  companion 
slept  much  of  the  time,  and  oh  how  lonesome  it  ap- 
peared to  me,  while  the  stillness  of  the  wilderness  rung 
in  my  ears !  In  fact,  the  two  days  and  nights  I  passed 
here  appeared  among  the  longest  of  my  life. 

On  our  way  to  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  we  were  de- 
tained one  day,  from  some  cause  or  other,  and  during 
that  time  I  witnessed  a  phenomenon  which  I  have  never 
observed  since,  and  have  always  been  at  a  loss  to  account 
for.  The  day  was  excessively  hot  and  calm  ;  on  a  sudden, 
the  river  appeared  to  be  alive  with  fish  of  all  kinds,  jump- 
ing out  of  their  element,  darting  in  every  direction,  and 
actually  lashing  the  water  into  a  foam.  They  appeared 
all  around  our  boat,  and,  in  their  frantic  capers,  sometimes 
dashed  themselves  against  it,  or  almost  ran  aground.  A 
number  were  shot  with  rifles.  I  have  frequently  related 
this  fact,  but  could  never  find  any  one  to  explain  it. 

In  ascending  the  Ohio,  as  the  banks  were  uninhabited, 
and  there  were  no  boats  going  down,  we  often  suffered 
severely  from  the  want  of  provisions.  Excepting  two  log- 
cabins,  at  Red  Bank,  there  was  no  habitation  until  we 
reached  the  Falls.  I  shall  never  forget  the  painful  sen- 
sations of  hunger  which  I  endured,  when  we  were  a  day, 
or  sometimes  two  days,  without  anything  to  eat.  A  suf- 
ficient supply  of  provisions  had  not  been  laid  in  before 
starting,  and  our  hunters  frequently  disappointed  us. 
Not  far  from  the  Wabash,  on  the  Indian  side  of  the 


30  BRA  C  KEN  RID  GF'S 

river,  a  small  herd  of  buflfaloes  was  one  clay  observed, 
perhaps  among  the  last  ever  seen  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ohio.  Our  boat  landed,  in  order  to  afford  an  opportunity 
to  those  who  had  guns  to  approach  the  game  through 
the  woods.  Four  of  the  men  slipped  up  through  the 
bushes,  and,  selecting  a  buffalo  bull,  fired  their  rifles  at 
once  at  his  head ;  but  they  either  missed,  or  their  bullets 
could  not  penetrate  his  skull.  Another  was  more  fortun- 
ate, or  more  judicious,  in  choosing  out  a  large  calf,  which 
he  shot  and  secured,  and  brought  us  a  most  acceptable 
supply  of  fi'esh  meat.  Once,  having  encamped  some- 
what later  than  usual,  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  beautiful 
grove  of  sugar-trees,  we  found,  after  kindling  our  fires, 
that  a  large  flock  of  turkeys  had  taken  up  their  night's 
lodgings  over  our  heads:  some  ten  or  twelve  of  them 
were  soon  taken  down  for  our  supper  and  breakfast.  But 
it  was  not  often  we  were  so  fortunate;  and  one  afternoon 
in  particular,  after  having  suffered  much  from  hunger,  the 
men  bethought  themselves  of  trying  the  river  mussels : 
they  were  fried,  and  covered  with  pepper  and  salt,  but 
they  could  not  be  eaten,  or  were  instantly  rejected  by 
the  stomach.  In  speaking  of  the  sugar-tree,  it  may  be 
remarked  that  this  beautiful  tree  is  the  pride  of  the 
banks  of  the  Ohio;  nothing  can  surpass  the  dark  rich 
green  of  its  well-formed  top,  surmounting  a  tall,  clean 
shaft,  perfectly  straight,  and  free  from  lateral  branches. 
The  towering  pacane  is  the  pride  of  the  Mississippi,  but 
is  usually  found  in  detached  growth,  not  in  magnificent 
groves  like  the  former,  excluding  all  undergrowth,  and 
presenting  a  cool,  grassy  shade  underneath.  The. gigan- 
tic sycamore  is  the  most  remarkable  tree  on  the  up})er 
part  of  the  Ohio.  These  wonderful  productions  of  na- 
ture are,  however,  fast  disappearing  before  the  axe  of  the 
settler;    and,  in  time,  these    plantations  of  groves  and 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  31 

trees,  wliich  may  be  ranked  among  the  i)roU(le.st  of  her 
works,  will  only  be  known  to  tradition,  like  the  race  of 
the  giants. 

I  must  not  omit  an  incident  of  our  voyage  of  some- 
what unusual  interest,  which  was  nothing  more  nor  less 
than  what  may  be  called  a  naval  combat  with  a  bear. 
One  afternoon  bruin  was  espied  crossing  the  river  from 
the  Indiana  to  the  Kentucky  side  ;  every  exertion  was 
made,  and  with  success,  to  cut  him  off  from  the  shore. 
We  now  had  him  fairly  in  the  middle  of  the  river.  All 
the  guns  we  had  on  board  were  leveled  at  him ;  but  such 
is  the  extraordinary  tenacity  of  life  in  this  animal,  that, 
although  severely  wounded,  he  not  only  continued  to 
swim,  but  now  enraged,  and  finding  his  retreat  impracti- 
cable, made  directly  for  the  boat,  champing  his  teeth,  and 
his  eyes  red  with  rage.  Before  the  fire-arms  could  be  re- 
loaded, he  laid  his  paw  on  the  side  of  the  boat,  as  if  to 
try  the  last  desperate  experiment  of  boarding;  and  if  he 
had  succeeded,  the  probability  is  he  would  have  cleared 
the  decks.  Some  one  had  the  presence  of  mind  to  seize 
an  axe  and  knock  him  on  the  head  ;  after  which,  he  was 
dragged  into  the  boat,  and  proved  to  be  of  enormous 
size.  We  encamped  early,  and  fires  were  joyfully  kin- 
dled along  the  rocky  shore,  in  anticipation  of  the  feast: 
one  of  the  paws  fell  to  my  share,  and,  being  roasted  in 
the  ashes,  furnished  a  delicious  repast. 

Our  boat  was  very  badly  contrived  to  encounter  in- 
clement weather.  At  the  stern  there  was  a  small  cabin, 
if  such  it  might  be  called,  formed  by  a  canvas  drawn  over 
hoops  something  like  those  of  a  covered  wagon.  But  the 
space  it  covered  was  too  narrow  to  shelter  more  than  four 
or  five  persons.  The  hull  of  the  boat  was  entirely  filled 
with  peltries.  One  night,  when  it  rained  incessantly,  so 
many  crowded  in  that  1  was  fairly  crowded  out,  and  lay, 


32  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

until  daylight,  on  the  running-board  (a  plank  at  the  edge 
of  the  boat,  on  which  the  men  walk  in  pushing  with  the 
pole),  exposed  to  the  falling  torrents  of  rain,  accompanied 
with  incessant  thunder  and  lightning.     We  little  know 
what  we  can  bear  until  we  try,  although  one  might  think 
this  would  deserve   to  rank   among  the   experiments  of 
Peter  the  Great,  who  attempted  to  accustom  his  midship- 
men to  drink  salt  water !  I  did  not  sleep,  but  drew  myself 
as  nearly  into  the  shape  of  a  ball  as  I  could,  with  no  other 
covering  than  a  thin  capote.     Shortly  after  my  arrival  at 
Louisville,  I  was  seized  with  a  fever  and  ague,  occasioned 
either   by  my  exposures    and    sufferings,  or    by    impru- 
dently eating  some  unripe  watermelon,  or  both  together. 
It  was  nearly  a  year  before  I  was  entirely  cured  of  the 
ague,  and  I  felt  the  effects  long  after. 

My  guardian,  having  disposed  of  the  principal  part  of 
his  cargo  at  Louisville,  purchased  a  canoe  or  peroque, 
which  he  loaded  with  some  valuable  furs  remaining  unsold, 
and  employed  a  stripling  from  the  Monongahela  to  assist 
him  in  pushing  with  the  pole.  Thus  far,  I  have  said  lit- 
tle of  my  guardian.  The  reader  must  have  discovered 
that  he  was  engaged  in  trade  between  Pittsburg  and 
Upper  Louisiana ;  but  he  will  hardly  suspect  that  he 
was  a  French  gentleman  of  education,  and  bred  to  the  bar 
in  his  own  country,  and  of  a  distinguished  family  there. 
Among  the  strange  vicissitudes  of  employments  and  for- 
tune in  this  country,  the  reader  need  not  be  surprised  to 
find  that  this  gentleman  was  afterward  a  member  of 
Congress,  elected  as  the  successor  of  the  celebrated  Albert 
Gallatin ;  and  that  he  was  subsequently  a  judge  of  the 
superior  court ;  and  that,  in  due  season,  I  had  the  honor 
of  addressing  him,  in  the  village  of  St.  Genevieve,  in  my 
capacity  of  lawyer!  But  not  further  to  anticipate  the 
events  of  this  pleasant  narrative,  I  will  simply  say  that 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  33 

he  might  now  be  seen,  pole  in  hand,  pushing  at  the  stern, 
and  his  man  Duncan  at  the  bow,  while  rill-garlick  was 
deposited  among  the  skins,  half  way  between  them. 
When  the  unfortunate  ague  came  on  I  disturbed  the  equi- 
librium of  the  canoe,  or  rather  of  those  standing  up  in  it, 
to  the  no  small  displeasure  of  monsieur,  whose  temper 
was  none  of  the  sweetest. 

As  the  season  was  advanced,  and  also  rainy,  I  suffered 
much  from  constant  exposure.  Duncan  took  care  of  me; 
we  slept  together,  and  the  few  blankets  we  had  were  dis- 
posed in  the  most  judicious  manner.  One  of  these  was 
drawn  over  bent  twigs,  each  end  in  the  ground  ;  another 
was  laid  on  leaves,  or  fresh  boughs,  and  a  third  was  used 
for  covering.  In  this  way,  the  night  was  passed  more 
comfortably  than  the  day  ;  although,  on  one  occasion,  we 
had  to  shake  off  the  snow  which  had  fallen  upon  us  some- 
what early  in  the  season.  Having  a  regular  return  of  the 
ague  every  day,  and  growing  weaker,  my  guardian  consid- 
ered it  most  prudent  to  leave  me  at  the  first  settlement, 
where  T  could  be  safely  deposited  and  taken  care  of.  Ac- 
cordingly, on  our  arrival  at  Gallipolis,  I  was  taken  to  a 
house  in  the  village  and  left  there. 


34  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 


CHAPTER   Y. 

Kesidence  at  Gallipolis— Character  of  Dr.  Saugrain,  and  some 
Account  of  the  Place — Distresses  experienced  there — Arrival 
of  General  Wilkinson  and  Family  — Departs  with  him  and 
arrives  at  Pittsburg. 

Behold  me  once  more  in  port,  and  domiciliated  at  the 
house,  or  inn,  of  Monsieur,  or  rather  Dr.  Saugrain,  a 
cheerful,  sprightly  little  Frenchman,  four  feet  six  English 
measure,  and  a  chemist,  natural  philosopher,  and  physician, 
both  in  the  English  and  French  signification  of  the  word. 
I  was  delighted  with  my  present  liberation  from  the  irk- 
some thraldom  of  the  canoe,  and  with  the  possession  of 
the  free  use  of  my  limbs.  After  wrapping  my  blanket 
round  me,  which  was  my  only  bedding,  I  threw  myself 
into  a  corner  for  a  couple  of  hours,  during  the  continuance 
of  the  fever  and  ague,  and  then  rose  up  refreshed,  with 
the  lightness  of  spirits  which  I  possessed  in  an  unusual 
degree.  I  ran  out  of  the  house,  and  along  the  bank, 
where  I  met  a  boy  about  my  own  size  ;  I  laid  hold  of  him 
in  mirth,  but  he,  mistaking  my  vivacity,  gave  mc  a  sound 
beating. 

The  next  day  the  doctor  tried  his  skill  upon  me,  or^ 
rather  upon  my  ague,  and  pretty  much  on  the  plan  of  that 
other  celebrated  physician,  whose  name  begins  with  the 
letter  S ;  whether  on  the  principle  of  the  solvienfe  uni- 
vernal,  I  do  not  so  well  know,  but  certain  it  is,  he  repeated 
the  very  words  recorded  by  Gil  Bias,  "  hehe  agua,  Ivijo 
mio,  hebe  agua  in  almndaiicia,'^ — drink  water,  my  son, 
drink  plenty  of  water.     I  drank  a  gallon  or  two  of  tepid 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  35 

water,  and  threw  it  up  airain,  thus  rinsinjr  out  tlie  stomach 
as  one  might  rinse  a  bottle ;  but  the  ague  was  not  to  be 
shaken  oflf  so  easily ;  it  still  continued  to  visit  me  daily, 
as  usual,  all  that  winter  and  part  of  the  next  spring. 

I  was  but  poorly  clad,  and  was  without  hat  or  shoes, 
but  gradually  became  accustomed  to  do  without  them : 
like  the  Indian,  I  might  in  time  have  become  all  face. 
My  guardian  left  no  money,  perhaps  he  had  none  to  leave  ; 
M.  Saugraiu  had  none  to  spare,  and,  moreover,  had  no 
certainty  that  he  would  be  reimbursed ;  besides,  as  this 
was  the  period  when  the  French  Revolution  was  at  its 
height,  sans  culotiism  was  popular  with  those  who  favored 
that  breaking  up  of  all  social  economy.  Dr.  Saugrain, 
however,  and  many  others  in  Gallipolis  were  not  of  that 
party;  they  were  royalists  who  bitterly  lamented  the 
condition  of  their  native  country. 

Gallipolis,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  straggling  log- 
houses,  of  which  that  of  Dr.  S.  was  one,  consisted  of  two 
long  rows  of  barracks  built  of  logs,  and  partitioned  off 
into  rooms  of  sixteen  or  twenty  feet  wide,  with  what  is 
called  a  cabin  roof  and  wooden  chimneys.  At  one  end 
there  was  a  larger  room  than  the  rest,  which  served  as  a 
council  chamber  and  ball-room.  This  singular  village 
was  settled  by  people  from  Pari^  and  Lyons,  chiefly  arti- 
sans and  artists,  peculiarly  unfitted  to  sit  down  in  the 
wilderness  and  clear  away  forests.  I  have  seen  half  a 
dozen  at  work  in  taking  down  a  tree,  some  pulling  ropes 
fastened  to  the  branches,  while  others  were  cutting  round 
it  like  beavers.  Sometimes  serious  accidents  occurred  in 
consequence  of  their  awkwardness.  Their  former  employ- 
ments had  only  been  calculated  to  administer  to  the  luxury 
of  highly  polished  and  wealthy  societies.  There  were 
carvers  and  gilders  to  the  king,  coachmaket-s,  frizeurs  and 
perukemakers,  and  a  variety  of  others,  who  might  have 


36  BRA  CKEXR  ID  GE'  S 

found  employment  in  our  larger  towns,  but  who  were 
entirely  out  of  their  place  in  the  wilds  of  the  Ohio.    Their 
means  by  this  time  had  been  exhausted,  and  they  were 
beginning  to  suffer  from  the  want  of  the  comforts  and 
even  necessaries  of  life.    The  country  back  from  the  river 
was  still  a  wilderness,  and  the  Gallipolitans  did  not  pre- 
tend to  cultivate  anything  more  than  small  garden  spots, 
depending  for  their  supply  of  provisions  on  the  boats 
which  now  began  to  descend  the  river ;  but  they  had  to 
pay  in  cash,  and  that  was  become  scarce.     They  still  as- 
sembled at  the  ball-room  twice  a  week ;  it  was  evident, 
however,  that  they  had  felt  disappointment,  and  were  no 
longer  happy.    The  predilections  of  the  best  among  them 
being  on  the  side  of  the  Bourbons,  the  horrors  of  the 
Revolution,  even  in  their  remote  position,  mingled  with 
their  private  misfortunes,  which  had  at  this  time  nearly 
reached  their  acme,  in  consequence  of  the  discovery  that 
they  had  no  title  to  their  lands,  having  been  cruelly  de- 
ceived by  those  from  Avhom  they  had  purchased.     It  is 
well  known  that  Congress  generously  made  them  a  grant 
of  twenty  thousand  acres  :  from  which,  however,  but  few 
of  them  derived  any  advantage. 

As  the  Ohio  was  now  more  frequented,  the  house  was 
occasionally  resorted  to,  and  especially  by  persons  looking 
out  for  land  to  purchase.  The  doctor  had  a  small  apart- 
ment which  contained  his  chemical  apparatus,  and  I  used 
to  sit  by  him  as  often  as  I  could,  watching  the  curious 
operations  of  his  blowpipe  and  crucible.  I  loved  the 
cheerful  little  man  and  he  became  very  fond  of  me  in 
turn.  Many  of  my  countrymen  used  to  come  and  stare 
at  his  doings,  which  they  were  half  inclined  to  think  had 
too  near  a  rescml)lance  to  the  black  art.  The  doctor's 
little  phosphoric  matches,  igniting  spontaneously  when 
the  glass  tube  was  broken,  and  from  which  he  derived 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  87 

some  emolument,  were  thought  by  some  to  be  rather  1)C- 
yond  mere  hunum  power.  His  barometers  and  thermom- 
eters, with  the  scale  neatly  painted  with  the  pen,  and  the 
frames  richly  carved,  were  objects  of  wonder,  and  some 
of  them  are  probably  still  extant  in  the  West.  But  what 
most  astonished  some  of  our  visitors  was  a  large  peach 
in  a  glass  bottle,  the  neck  of  which  could  only  admit  a 
common  cork ;  this  was  accomplished  by  tying  the  bottle 
to  the  limb  of  the  tree,  with  the  peach  when  young  in- 
serted into  it.  His  swans,  which  swam  round  basins  of 
water,  amused  me  more  than  any  of  the  wonders  exhibited 
b}'  the  wonderful  man. 

The  doctor  was  a  great  favorite  with  the  Americans, 
as  well  for  his  vivacity  and  sweetness  of  temper  which 
nothing  could  sour,  as  on  account  of  a  circumstance  which 
gave  him  high  claims  to  the  esteem  of  the  backwoodsmen. 
He  had  shown  himself,  notwithstanding  his  small  stature 
and  great  good  nature,  a  very  hero  in  combat  with  the 
Indians.  He  had  descended  the  Ohio  in  company  with 
two  French  philosophers,  who  were  believers  in  the  prim- 
itive innocence  and  goodness  of  the  children  of  the  forest. 
They  could  not  be  persuaded  that  any  danger  was  to  be 
apprehended  from  the  Indians :  as  they  had  no  intention 
to  injure  that  people,  they  supposed,  of  course,  that  no 
harm  could  be  meditated  on  their  part.  Dr.  Saugrain 
was  not  altogether  so  well  convinced  of  their  good  inten- 
tions, and  accordingly  kept  his  pistols  loaded.  Near  the 
mouth  of  Big  Sand}^,  a  canoe  with  a  party  of  warriors 
approached  the  boat  ;  the  philosophers  invited  them  on 
board  by  signs,  when  they  came  rather  too  willingly. 
Tlie  first  thing  they  did  on  entering  the  l)oat  was  to  salute 
the  two  philosophers  with  the  tomahawk;  and  they  would 
have  treated  the  doctor  in  the  same  way,  but  that  he  used 
his  pistols  with  good  effect:  killed  two  of  the  savages, 

4^ 


38  BRACKENRIDOE'S 

and  then  leaped  into  the  water,  diving  like  a  dipper  at 
the  flash  of  the  guns  of  the  others,  and  succeeded  in 
swimming  to  shore,  with  several  severe  wounds  whose 
scars  were  conspicuous. 

The  doctor  was  married  to  an  amiable  young  woman, 
but  not  possessing  as  much  vivacity  as  himself.  As 
Madame  Saugrain  had  no  maid  to  assist  in  household 
work,  her  brother,  a  boy  of  my  age,  and  myself,  were 
her  principal  helps  in  the  kitchen.  We  brought  water 
and  wood,  and  washed  the  dishes.  I  used  to  go  in  the 
morning  about  two  miles  for  a  little  milk,  sometimes  on 
the  frozen  ground,  barefoot.  I  tried  a  pair  of  sabots,  or 
wooden  shoes,  but  was  unable  to  make  any  use  of  them, 
although  they  had  been  made  by  the  carver  to  the  king. 
Little  perquisites  sometimes,  too,  fell  to  our  share,  from 
blacking  shoes  and  boots  :  my  companion  generally  saved 
his,  while  mine  would  have  burnt  a  hole  in  my  pocket  if 
it  had  remained  there.  In  the  spring  and  summer,  a  good 
deal  of  my  time  was  passed  in  the  garden,  weeding  the 
beds.  While  thus  engaged,  I  formed  an  acquaintance 
with  a  young  lady  of  eighteen  or  twenty,  on  the  other 
side  of  the  palings,  who  was  often  similarly  occupied. 
Our  friendship,  which  was  purely  Platonic,  commenced 
with  the  story  of  Blue  Beard,  recounted  by  her,  and  with 
the  novelty  and  pathos  of  which  I  was  much  interested. 
This  incident  may  perhaps  remind  the  reader  of  the  story 
of  Pyramus  and  Tiiisbe,  or  perhaps  of  the  hortical  eclogue 
of  Dean  Swift,  "  Dermot  and  Shela." 

Connected  with  this  young  lady,  there  is  an  incident 
which  I  feel  a  pleasure  in  relating.  One  day,  while  stand- 
ing alone  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  I  saw  a  man  who  had 
gone  in  to  bathe,  and  who  had  got  beyond  his  depth 
without  l)eing  able  to  swim.  lie  began  to  struggle  for 
life,  and  in  u  few  seconds  would   have  sunk  to  rise  no 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  39 

more.  I  shot  down  the  bank  like  an  arrow,  leaped  into 
a  canoe,  which  fortunately  hai)pened  to  be  close  by^ 
pushed  the  end  of  it  to  him,  and  as  he  rose,  perhaps  for 
the  last  time,  he  seized  it  with  a  deadly  convulsive  grasp, 
and  held  so  firmly,  that  the  skin  afterward  came  ofif  the 
parts  of  his  arms  which  pressed  against  the  wood.  I 
screamed  for  help;  several  persons  came,  and  took  him 
out  perfectly  insensible.  He  afterward  married  the  young 
lady,  and  they  raised  a  numerous  and  respectable  family.- 
One  of  his  daughters  married  a  young  lawyer,  who  now 
represents  that  district  in  Congress.*  Thus  at  eight  years 
of  age  I  earned  the  civic  crown  by  saving  the  life  of  a 
human  being. 

If  my  occupations  were  of  a  menial  character,  they 
were  not  rendered,  or  received,  as  such  ;  for  I  was  treated 
as  if  I  were  the  child  or  brother  of  my  landlord  and  land- 
lady.    Money  had  been  sent  for  my  keeping,  but  unfor- 
tunately it  never  reached  its  destination.     The  doctor 
once  took  me  with  him  to  a  small  town  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Kenawha  River,  where  w^e  were  treated  in  a  very  hos- 
pitable manner  by  Colonel  Lewis.     It  was  here  that  for 
the  first  time  I  tasted  wine,  and  I  confess  that  I  have 
liked  it  ever  since,  while,  in  an  equal  degree,  it  created  a 
dislike  to  brandy,  rum,  and  whisky.     I  saw  a  venerable- 
looking  man  of  the  name  of  Vanbiber,  with  a  long  snow- 
white  beard,  and  deprived  of  sight,  who  related  the  man- 
ner in  which   he  and  his  family  had  been  saved  by  the 
fidelity  of  a  negro  man,  who  had  repelled  an  attack  made 
by  a  party  of  Indians ;  I  have  forgotten  the  circumstances, 
but  they  were  thought  very  extraordinary.    By  this  time 
I  had  learned  to  speak  my  native  tongue  ;  we  soon  regain 
what  has  been  once  known  and  forgotten ;  it  was  a  long 

*  Mr.  Vinton. 


40  BRA  CKENRID  GE '  S 

time,    however,   before   I  was   entirely  freed   from   my 
French  idiom. 

Toward  the  Latter  part  of  summer,  the  inhabitants  suf- 
fered severely  from  sickness  and  want  of  provisions. 
Their  situation  was  truly  wretched.  The  swamp  in  the 
rear,  now  exposed  by  the  clearing  between  it  and  the 
river,  became  the  cause  of  a  frightful  epidemic,  from 
which  few  escaped,  and  many  became  its  victims.  I  had 
recovered  from  my  ague,  and  was  among  the  few  exempted 
from  the  disease ;  but  our  family,  as  well  as  the  rest,  suf- 
fered much  from  absolute  hunger,  a  most  painful  sensa- 
tion, as  I  had  before  experienced.  To  show  the  extremity 
of  our  distress,  on  one  occasion  the  brother  of  Madame 
Saugrain  and  myself  pushed  a  light  canoe'  to  an  island 
above  the  town,  where  we  pulled  some  corn,  took  it  to 
floating  mill,  and,  excepting  some  of  the  raw  grains,  had 
had  nothing  to  eat  from  the  day  before,  until  we  carried 
home  the  flour  and  made  some  bread,  but  had  neither  milk 
nor  meat.  I  have  learned  to  be  thankful  when  I  had  a 
sufficiency  of  wholesome  food,  however  plain,  and  was 
blessed  with  health  ;  and  I  could  put  up  with  humble  fare 
without  a  murmur,  although  accustomed  to  luxuries, 
when  I  have  seen  those,  who  had  never  experienced  abso- 
lute starvation,  turn  up  their  noses  at  that  which  was 
very  little  worse  than  the  best  they  had  ever  known. 
Such  are  the  uses  of  adversity. 

I  had  been  nearly  a  year  at  Gallipolis  when  Captain 
Smith  of  the  United  States  Army  came  along,  in  advance 
of  the  barge  of  General  Wilkinson,  and,  according  to  the 
request  of  my  father,  took  me  into  his  custody  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  me  once  more  to  my  native  place. 
He  remained  two  or  three  days,  waiting  for  the  general, 
and  in  the  mean  while  procured  me  hat,  shoes,  and  clothes 
befitting  a  gentleman's  son,  and  then  took  me  on  board 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  41 

his  boat.     Shortly  after  the  general  overtook  us,  and  I 
was  transferred  on  board  of  the  barge  as  a  playmate  and 
companion  for  his  son  Biddle,  a  boy  of  my  own  age.  The 
general's  lady,  and  several  ladies  and  gentlemen  were  on 
board  of  the  boat,  which  was  fitted  up  in  a  style  of  con- 
venience, and  even  magnificence,  scarcely  surpassed  by 
the  present  steamboats.     It  was  propelled  against  the 
stream  by  twenty-five  or  thirty  men,  sometimes  with  the 
pole,  by  the  cordelle,  and  often  by  the  oar.     There  was 
also  a  band  of  musicians,  and  the  whole  had  the  appear- 
ance of  a  mere  party  of  pleasure.     My  senses  were  over- 
powered— it  seemed  an  Elysium !     The  splendor  of  the 
furniture — the  elegance   of  the   dresses — and  then   the 
luxuries  of  the  table,  to  a  half-starved  creature,  produced 
an  effect  which  cannot  be  easily  described.     Every  re- 
past was  a  royal  banquet,  and  such  delicacies  were  placed 
before  me  as  I  had  never  seen,  and  in  sufficient  abund- 
ance to  satiate  my  insatiable  appetite.*     I  was  no  more 
like  what  I  had  been,  than  the  cast  off  skin  of  the  black 
snake  resembles  the  new  dress  in  which  he  glistens  in  the 
sunbeam.     The   general's  countenance  was   continually 
lighted  up  with  smiles,  and  he  seemed  faire  le  honheur 
of  all  around  him, — it  seemed  to  be  his  business  to  make 
every  one  happy.     His  countenance  and  manners  were 
such  as  1  have  rarely  seen,  and,  now  that  I  can  form  a 
more  just  estimate  of  them,  were  such  as  better  fitted 
him  for  a  court  than  a  republic.     His  lady  was  truly  a 
most  estimable  person,  of  the  mildest  and  softest  man- 
ners.   She  gave  her  son  and  me  a  reproof  one  day,  which 
I  never  forgot.     She  saw  us  catching  minnows  with  pin 
hooks^made  us  desist,  and  then  explained,  in  the  sweet- 


pcnetrer 

Le  lieu  impenetrable. — J.  B.  Rousseau. 


42  BRA  C KEN  RIB  GE'S 

est  manner,  the  cruelty  of  taking  away  life,  wantonly, 
from  the  humblest  thing  in  the  creation. 

Our  arrival  at  Pittsburg  was  announced  by  the  thunder 
of  artillery,  many  times  repeated  by  the  echoes  of  the 
surrounding  hills.  I  trembled  at  the  thought  of  appear- 
ing before  the  being  whom  I  held  in  so  much  awe — my 
father  !  The  boy  who  had  taken  care  of  me  in  childhood, 
and  of  whom  I  have  already  spoken,  watched  the  landing 
of  the  boat,  immediately  took  me  in  his  arms,  and  then 
led  me  home.  We  found  my  father  sitting  in  his  office, 
unmoved  by  the  uproar  which  had  disturbed  the  whole 
village.  I  thought  he  looked  more  severe  than  ever. 
Raising  his  spectacles  from  his  clear  and  polished  fore- 
head, he  accosted  me  as  follows :  "  Well,  boy,  can  you 
read  French  ?"  Then  taking  down  a  copy  of  Telemachus, 
put  it  into  my  hands.  I  stammered,  perhaps  a  little  rusty 
from  my  residence  at  Gallipolis,  where  there  was  no 
school — perhaps  my  faculties  were  benumbed  with  fear. 
"  Sir,"  said  he,  "  your  progress  does  not  equal  my  expec- 
tations ;"  then,  turning  round,  said,  "Joe,  take  him  to 
Fenemore,  the  tailor,  to  get  a  suit  of  clothes,  and  then  to 
Andrew  Willocks,  to  have  his  measure  for  a  pair  of  shoes." 

I  was  now  in  the  tenth  3^ear  of  my  age.  In  general, 
few  persons  under  ten  or  twelve  go  through  anj^thing 
worth  the  trouble  of  relating :  and  it  is  only  the  boyhood 
of  those  who  have  become  distinguished  in  after-life,  that 
can  afford  a  subject  of  interest  without  it.  The  boyhood 
of  Milton,  Shakspearc,  Newton,  or  Napoleon  excites 
curiosity  in  consequence  of  the  magnitude  of  the  space 
filled  by  these  illustrious  names  in  the  history  of  man- 
kind ;  like  the  first  rise  of  the  great  rivers  of  the  world, 
which  we  delight  to  trace,  and,  like  Bruce,  to  bestride,  on 
account  of  the  contrast  with  their  subsequent  grandeur. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  43 


CHAPTER    YL 

The  Author's  Education — Narrowly  escapes  the  Dangers  from 
Wicked  Associates. 

Ix  a  few  days  after  my  return,  my  education  com- 
menced. Before  breakfast  two  hours  were  given  to  M. 
Yisinier,  the  teacher  of  French.  He  was  a  small  man, 
with  a  brown  coat,  long  nose,  and  gold  snufif-box.  Tele- 
machus,  and  a  poetic  prose  translation  of  the  ^neid, 
were  the  books  I  read,  and  with  which  I  was  pleased, 
perhaps,  in  part,  from  having  been  a  traveler  also,  and 
perhaps  from  possessing  a  natural  relish  for  what  is 
beautiful  in  composition,  and  elevated  in  sentiment. 
These  works  were  admirably  calculated  to  awaken  taste 
where  it  existed ;  and  as  to  Yirgil,  I  must  say  that  the 
French  served  rather  to  heighten  the  interest  of  the  orig- 
inal, which  I  never  relished  as  much.  With  my  father  I 
read  English  after  breakfast,  beginning  with  Robinson 
Crusoe,  and  then  the  Adventures  of  Teague  0 'Regan,  a 
production  of  his  own,  intended  as  a  satire  upon  some  of 
the  defective  points  of  our  excellent  popular  government. 
Possessing  a  lively  sense  of  the  ridiculous,  I  could  not 
restrain  my  laughter,  at  some  of  the  incidents  of  "  Modern 
Chivalry,"  at  which,  instead  of  being  displeased,  he 
frequently  joined  me,  and  I  believe  the  circumstance 
served  to  confirm  him  in  the  opinion  he  already  enter- 
tained of  the  brilliancy  of  my  intellect.  Don  Quixote, 
Gil  Bias,  Tom  Jones,  the  Yicar  of  Wakefield  followed. 
I  then  read  Goldsmith's  Animated  Nature,  and  his 
abridged  histories  of  Greece,  Rome,  and  England,  and 


44  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

afterward  some  volumes  of  the  Spectator,  with  other 
reading,  which  occupied  the  winter  and  the  best  part  of 
the  spring  and  summer.  There  was  little  or  no  interrup- 
tion in  my  studies,  which  continued  from  the  time  I  rose 
in  the  morning  until  bedtime.  I  was  occasionally  allowed 
an  hour  before  dinner,  to  saunter  about  the  town,  but  was 
kept  so  closely  to  my  books,  that  I  had  scarcely  time  to 
become  acquainted  with  the  boys  in  the  streets. 

Lessons  in  handwriting  were  given  me  by  Mr.  Tod, 
the  inventor  of  a  new  method  of  teaching  to  write  like 
copper-plate.  His  price  was  high,  but  such  was  his  sup- 
posed excellence,  that  even  elderly  ladies  were  seized  with 
a  desire,  through  his  assistance,  to  attain  the  accomplish- 
ment of  caligraphy.  One  of  the  students,  a  relative  of 
my  father,  undertook  to  teach  me  arithmetic,  and  devoted 
an  hour  or  two,  for  this  purpose,  every  day,  in  the  study, 
where  clients  were  usually  introduced.  This  was  a 
laborious  and  painful  part  of  my  education,  for  I  had  little 
aptitude  for  numeral  figures.  The  committing  to  memory 
the  multiplication  table  cost  me  infinite  labor.  I  galloped 
through  fractions,  square  root,  and  through  Euclid,  Grib- 
son's  Surveying,  and  Fenn's  Algebra,  with  sensations  of 
disgust  rather  than  of  pleasure ;  and  excepting  Euclid, 
which  I  have  admired  as  furnishing  the  anatomy  of  the 
reasoning  powers,  have  recurred  to  them  but  little  since, 
except  while  at  Jefferson  College.  But  I  am  here 
anticipating  the  course  of  education  marked  out  for  me. 

A  love  of  reading  was,  however,  kindled,  which  has 
never  been  extinguished,  and  has  been  my  chief  employ- 
ment and  solace  through  life.  That  parent  may  consider 
himself  happy,  when  he  finds  that  his  child  is  fond  of 
reading.  I  have  crept  out  of  my  bed,  and  have  lain  a 
great  part  of  the  night,  before  the  slacked  coal  fire,  using 
the  faint  light  emitted  through  the  bars  of  the  grate,  in 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  TILE    WEST.      ^  45 

order  to  follow  the  unfortunate  Baron  Trenck  through  his 
singular  sufferings  and  persecutions.  My  temperament 
was  pecuHarly  ardent,  and  when  engaged  in  anything 
con  amove,  my  whole  soul  entered  into  the  pursuit.  This 
disposition  for  intense  application  in  some  things,  and 
rapidity  of  apprehension,  was  not  inconsistent  with  a  love 
of  boyish  plays  and  sports  in  an  equal  degree  ;  it  was  the 
same  temperament  differently  excited. 

My  father  undertook  to  instruct  me  in  the  Latin  and 
Greek.  He  was  himself  a  most  finished  classical  scholar, 
having  been  a  tutor  at  Princeton,  and  afterwards  the 
principal  of  an  academy  on  the  eastern  shore  of  Maryland  ; 
and  he  was  as  proud  of  the  success  in  life  of  his  pupils, 
and  took  as  much  credit  to  himself  for  it  as  Porson.  He 
considered  the  classics  all  in  all,  and  thought  no  person 
could  be  esteemed  a  scholar  without  them.  According  to 
his  estimate,  even  Franklin  had  no  higher  claim  than  that  of 
a  strong-minded,  imperfecth'-edueated  man,  who  would 
have  been  much  greater  if  he  had  been  bred  at  a  college, 
which  I  think  very  questionable.  We  are  apt  to  overrate 
the  importance  of  those  pursuits  in  which  we  excel,  or  to 
which  we  have  devoted  much  of  our  time  and  application. 
This  I  think  was  the  case  with  him,  and  he  was  inclined 
to  place  too  high  a  value  on  the  talents  of  those  who  were 
critically  versed  in  the  master-pieces  of  Greece  and  Rome. 
It  is,  therefore,  not  surprising  that  in  his  desire  to  give 
me  a  complete  education,  he  considered  my  proficiency  in 
the  classics  as  paramount  to  every  other  study — that  if 
accomplished  in  these,  everything  else  would  be  added 
unto  me.  But  the  course  adopted  by  him  to  effect  this 
all-important  object  was  unfortunate,  as  it  tended  some- 
what to  disgust  me  with  studies  which  accorded  with  my 
natural  taste,  and  which  disgust  was  never  altogether 

5 


46  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

subdued.  I  acquired  the  Spanish,  German,  and  Italian 
languages,  at  a  subsequent  period,  without  difficulty,  and 
with  very  little  assistance ;  but  as  to  the  learned  lan- 
guages, as  they  were  imposed  upon  me  as  a  task, 
unpleasant  sensations  have  always  been  associated  with 
them ;  and,  excepting  some  of  the  odes  of  Horace  and 
the  prose  of  Cicero,  the  translations  offered  me  more 
pleasure  than  the  originals.  This  is  a  circumstance  which 
I  have  most  sincerely  regretted.  I  ascribe  it  principally 
to  the  disgust  occasioned  by  the  lessons  which  I  had  to 
commit  to  memory.  It  was  only  when  self-taught,  that  I 
relished  the  classics.  My  father  was  of  a  hasty  temper, 
and  this,  with  the  awe  which  overshadowed  my  mind, 
frequently  caused  me  to  lose  my  recollection.  Perhaps 
he  did  not  make  sufficient  allowance  for  the  plastic  nature 
of  the  youthful  memory,  which  receives  an  impression,  as 
on  wax,  but  which  is  again  easily  effaced.  I  had  to  com- 
mit to  memory  grammar  after  grammar,  and  whole 
vocabularies  and  conjugations  of  irregular  verbs,  in  which 
I  took  no  pleasure  ;  while  I  could  pursue  with  ardor  those 
things  I  understood,  and  which  captivated  my  mind.  His 
object  was  to  give  me  a  good  foundation  for  the  super- 
structure he  was  about  to  erect.  The  Philadeli)hia  Gram- 
mar almost  obliterated  Ruddiman's  Rudiments,  and  Ross's 
the  Philadelphia.  My  memory  was  always  bad.  It  was 
painful  to  me  to  accomplish  an  ordinary  task.  My  per- 
ception and  my  recollection  were  quick,  and  my  imagina- 
tion peculiarly  lively;  but  as  to  recalling  facts  in  an 
arbitrary  manner,  it  required  a  painful  effort. 

The  most  essential  part  of  my  education  thus  became 
a  disagreeal)le  employment  to  me,  as  well  as  to  my  father, 
who  was  often  greatly  discouraged,  excepting  on  those 
occasions  when  he  turned  my  attention  to  something 
which   required   the   exercise   of   original   thought   and 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF   THE    WEST.  47 

observation.  I  read  Tooke's  Pantheon,  Kennett's  and 
Potter's  Antiquities,  with  Hume's  History  of  England, 
Bruce's  Travels,  Cook's  Voyages,  Anson,  etc.,  and  these 
often  called  forth  observations  from  me,  and  answers  to 
his  questions,  which  caused  him  to  suspend  his  unfavor- 
able prognostics  of  my  capacity.  But  in  my  opinion,  by 
far  the  most  valuable  portion  of  my  education  consisted 
in  his  conversation,  or  rather  lectures,  for  he  spoke  to  me 
always  as  to  a  man.  He  was  near  fifty  years  of  age,  had 
been  a  remarkable  student  from  his  childhood,  and  was 
surpassed  by  few  in  the  depth  and  variety  of  his  attain- 
ments. He  appeared  to  live  more  in  the  world  of  books 
than  of  men,  and  yet  his  natural  genius  was  of  such  high 
order,  that  it  is  questionable  whether  he  would  not  have 
been  greater  by  depending  more  on  his  native  resources. 
His  conversation  abounded  with  wit  and  eloquence,  and 
original  views  on  every  subject,  and  besides,  he  had  a 
most  remarkable  faculty  of  communicating  knowledge, 
perhaps  owing  to  the  clearness  of  his  own  conceptions. 
The  advantages  derived  from  constant  association  with 
such  a  man  can  be  imagined,  but  can  scarcely  be  appre- 
ciated. Although  there  is  no  royal  road  to  science,  yet 
the  road  may  be  shortened,  and  rendered  more  accessible, 
by  the  assistance  of  such  a  teacher.  I  had  all  the  benefit 
of  his  matured  intellect,  and  highly-refined  ideas  upon  a 
thousand  sul)jects ;  but  at  the  same  time  my  mind,  by 
being  forced  in  my  tasks,  became  averse  to  the  ordinary 
helps  to  the  acquirement  of  knowledge,  and  my  attention 
was  thus  often  called  off  from  the  sufferings  within  doors, 
to  the  consolations  of  hoops  and  marbles  without.  This 
would  have  been  prevented  by  the  emulation  of  school- 
fellows, but  alone  the  task  was  irksome.  My  father 
resorted  to  harsh  measures,  which  increased  the  dislike. 
It  is  cruel  to  deprive  a  boy  of  all  the  happiness  which 


48  BRACKEXRIDGE'S 

belongs  to  his  time  of  life,  when  there  is  so  little  certainty 
of  his  enjoying  any  other,  at  least  in  this  world. 

The  neglect  of  my  lesson  was  often  followed  by  severe 
punishment,  which  gave  rise  to  deception,  evasion,  and 
other  tricks  on  my  part,  little  consistent  with  the  truth 
and  innocence  of  mind  which  had  been  taught  me  at  St. 
Genevieve.    I  became,  at  least  in  my  own  estimation,  the 
most  wretched  being  on  earth.      In  the  various  modes 
devised  to  counteract  this  disposition  to  idleness  and  in- 
attention, which  it  was  supposed  had  seized  me,  and  for 
the  purpose  of  enabling  me  to  get  my  lesson  without 
being  distracted  by  surrounding  scenes,  I  was  sent  to  the 
garret,  where  I  would  be  entirely  alone.     Here,  unfortu- 
nately, there  was  a  neglected  deposit  of  old  books,  which 
furnished  me  ample  occupation.     With  the  natural  ardor 
of  application,  which  I  have  already  remarked,  where  the 
subject  fixed  me,  I  ran  through,  or  rather  devoured,  four 
folio  volumes  of  the  State  Trials  (the  admirable  defense 
of  Eugene  Aram  was  fixed  in  my  memory,  and  even  then 
fully   appreciated),   twenty-four   of  the   European,    and 
twelve  of  the  Literary  Magazine,  beside  an  enormous 
pile  of  the    Hibernian,  before  my  occupation  was   dis- 
covered.   I  was  then  taken  into  the  office  again,  and  placed 
at  my  desk.      Having  nothing  else,  I   secreted  a  small 
pocket  Bible;  and,  whenever  I  could  escape  from  the  eye 
of  my  father,  pored  over  the  sacred  volume,  but  not  with 
the  spirit  in  which  it  ought  to  be  read.     By  this  time, 
with  great  labor  and  up-hill  work,  I  had  got  as  far  as  the 
fourth  book  of  Virgil,  not  led  up  the  steep  ascent  by  the 
gentle  hand  of  Minerva,  but  driven  like  a  laden  ass  with 
a  cudgel.     Part  of  my  time  was  occupied  in  transcribing 
Jones  on  Bailments,  in  order  to  practice  handwriting. 

I  need  not  remark  upon  this  course  of  education,  which 
was  certainly  not  the  best.     This  constant  confinement 


RECOLLf:CTWXS    OF   TIIF    WFST.  49 

and  unceasing"  application,  while  other  boys  were  playing, 
became  insupportable;  and,  when  I  obtained  a  moment 
of  liberty,  it  jiroduced  intoxication  or  delirium,  and  I 
knew  not  when  to  resign  it  for  my  state  of  slavery.  On 
such  occasions,  after  having  been  away  for  half  a  day,  I 
lingered  about  the  door,  afraid  to  enter ;  and,  when  I 
summoned  courage  for  the  purpose,  resorted  to  artifice 
and  to  deceit,  corruptive  of  the  moral  sense.  A  child 
should  never  be  placed  in  a  situation  where  slavish  fear 
may  tempt  him  to  frame  a  lie,  in  order  to  escape  the  pun- 
ishment of  his  fault.  I  became,  in  fact,  a  bad  boy,  and  a 
fit  subject  for  the  corrupting  influence  of  any  depraved 
associate. 

The  course  of  education  just  related  was  crowded  into 
the  short  space  of  three  years,  and  much  of  the  latter  was 
passed  in  idleness.  My  voluntary  reading  was,  however, 
singularly  strangely  extensive  for  one  of  my  years,  and 
for  the  short  space  of  time  during  which  I  could  read  at 
all.  My  father  became  disheartened  at  the  slow  progress 
I  made  in  the  forced  part  of  the  instruction  given  by  him, 
and  very  wisely  concluded  to  send  me  to  the  academy  of 
the  town,  where  there  were  two  excellent  teachers,  Mr. 
Mountain,  of  the  Greek  and  Latin,  and  the  Rev.  John 
Taylor,  of  the  other  branches,  who  was  particularly  an 
excellent  mathematician,  and  as  good  a  man  as  there  is 
any  use  for  in  this  wicked  world.  My  progress  here  was 
like  that  of  other  boys,  although  there  was  not  one  more 
idle  or  more  impatient  of  school  hours.  I  was  placed  in 
the  second  class,  and  my  progress  must  have  been  great 
for  the  time  I  had  been  under  tuition,  for  the  boys  of  the 
class  were  of  my  own  age,  and  had  been  more  than  twice 
the  same  length  of  time  constantly  at  the  academy.  I 
joined,  with  extravagant  deli.L'-ht,  all  their  juvenile  games, 

5* 


50  BRA  CKENR  ID  GE'S 

and  excelled  in  most  of  them ;  and  3'et,  from  the  pecul- 
iarity of  the  circumstances  of  my  life,  would  often  pass 
hours  entirely  alone,  or  in  rambles  over  the  hills,  enjoying 
a  kind  of  dreamy  solitude,  deeply  tinged  with  sadness. 
Upon  the  whole,  I  am  convinced  that   a  public  school 
would  have  been  better  for  me  from  the  first ;  private  tui- 
tion may  have  its  advantages,  and  perhaps  a  combination 
of  both  is  necessary  to  form  a  perfect  system  of  education. 
Emulation  was  always  a  powerful  stimulant  with  me, 
and  on  that  account  alone  a  public  education  would  have 
been  better.     A  sense  of  shame  was,  if  possible,  a  still 
more  powerful  agent.     There  is  a  great  diiference  in  the 
character  of  the  scholar,  it  must  be  admitted,  and  there  is 
a  difference  also  in  the  qualifications  of  the  teacher — the 
soft  and  plastic  disposition  of  one  may  be  moulded  as  the 
potter  moulds  his  clay,  the  fiery  and  ardent  temper  of 
another  will  require  a  different  management.    The  chances 
are  in  favor  of  the  public  school,  if  for  no  other  reason, 
because  it  better  accords  with  the  natural  disposition  of 
most  boN^s.     Man  is  a  social  creature,  and  there  is  no 
period  of  life  when  society  is  not  of  advantage  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  faculties  and  affections.    There  may  not 
be  so  much  precocity,  but  the  mind  has  its  regular  growth 
and  maturity  as  well  as  the  body,  and  I  am  an  enemy  to 
all  kinds  of  forcing,  which  can  only  produce  an  unsavory 
fruit,  while  it  seriously  injures  the  stock.    The  boy  among 
his  playfellows,  even  while  at  pla}^,  is  not  uselessly  em- 
ployed ;  he  is  rehearsing,  in  miniature,  the  part  he  will 
be  called  to  act  on  the  more  extended  theater  of  life. 

My  religious  and  moral  principles  were  left  to  spring 
up  spontaneously,  the  cultivation  of  the  intellect  being 
most  erroneously  considered  all-sufficient.  I  have  often 
admired  that  expression  of  Curran,  "the  morality  of  the 
parental  board."     Vice  and  impiety  may  be  regarded  as 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  51 

follies  in  the  eye  of  reason,  and  the  mind  riirlitly  trained 
may  be  suj)posed  to  view  them   in   that   linht  ;   and  sucii 
was  the  philosophy  of  my  father,  who  was  a  perfectly 
honest  man, — so  much  so  that  he  scarcely  allowed  more 
than  a  netjative  merit  to  mere  honesty,  but  thundered  the 
most  terrific  denunciations  ag-ainst  the  opposite  quality. 
He  had  had  the  benefit  of  an  education  strictly  religious 
from  his  mother,  who  was  not  only  a  very  pious  woman, 
but  remarkably  intelligent.     Common  honesty  itself  is  not 
to  be  regarded  as  a  mere  negative  virtue;   it  ought  to  be 
fostered  and  cultivated  by  the  just  reward  of  praise  and 
approbation.     I  will  relate  a  trifling  circumstance,  which 
will  show  the  propriety  of  approbation  properly  bestowed. 
I  «mce  found  in  the  garret  a  six-cent  piece  in  the  pocket 
of  an  old  pair  of  breeches;  I  ran  with  it  to  ni}"  father, 
delighted  with  the  opportunity  of  giving  a  proof  of  my 
honesty,  but,  to  my  great  mortification,  he  put  it  in  his 
pocket  without  saying  a  word.     I  instantly  resolved  to 
make  a  different  use  of  the  next  that  should  fall  in  my 
way,  and  even  to  indemnify  myself  when  an  opportunity 
might  offer. 

The  idea  he  meant  to  convey  was,  that  honesty  is  a 
thing  of  course,  and  deserving  no  praise  ;  for  no  one  de- 
spised money,  and  the  lovers  and  getters  of  money,  more 
heartily  than  he  did.  He  was,  in  fact,  continually  in- 
veighing against  speculators,  misers,  and  avaricious  peo- 
ple, and  was  a  perfect  example  of  the  philosophy  which 
he  taught.  Toward  the  close  of  his  life  he  became  sen- 
sible of  his  error,  and  if  he  could  have  lived  it  over  again, 
he  would  have  taken  some  of  the  frugal  maxims  of  Frank- 
lin as  his  guide,  not  for  the  sake  of  the  i)elf  itself,  but  in 
the  language  of  poor  Burns,  who  was  the  model  of  im- 
providence, "for  the  glorious  privilege  of  independence." 
The  having  imbibed  his  erroneous  worldly  wisdom  was  a 


5  2  BRA  C KEN  RID  GE'S 

serious  injury  to  me,  who  have  been  all  my  life  culpably 
careless  in  money  matters. 

There  is  a  sequel  to  the  foregoing  which  must  be  related. 
One  morning  as  I  ascended  our  hayloft  to  throw  down  some 
fodder  to  the  horse,  a  big  negro's  head  was  popped  up  out  of 
the  hay,  at  which  I  started  in  alarm,  when  it  said  in  a  low 
voice,  ''  Don't  be  scared,  young  massa,  I'se  a  po'  nigga  run 
away  last  night  from  de  boat,  come  down  from  Figginy  on 
de  Monigehale,  and  gwine  to  Kentuck  ;  pray,  massa,  only 
let  me  stay,  and  tell  nobody  till  de  boat  go  away."     The 
creature  was  starving,  and  I  contrived  to  procure  him  some 
bread  and  meat  until  the  danger  was  past ;  he  then  came 
forth,  and  got  a  situation  as  a  hostler.     In  a  week  or  ten 
days  he  returned,  and  asked  if  there  was  such  a  thing  as  an 
old  pair  of  pants,  and  remembering  the  old  shorts  whence 
I  had  abstracted  the  six-cent  piece,  I  brought  them  to  him. 
He  offered  me  a  dollar,  which  I  was  tempted  to  accept. 
But  unfortunately  the  affair  did  not  end  here.     Never 
having  handled  quite  so  much  money  before,  I  was  at  a 
loss  to  know  what  to  do  with  it ;  but  soon  after  presented 
it  to  my  friend  Christy  Magee,  the  bravest  boy  in  the 
town.     Christy  had  cured  me  of  timidity  in  river  swim- 
ming, by  taking  me  beyond  my  depth,  and  then  saving 
me  from  drowning.     I  was  a  bold  swimmer  ever  after. 
The  dollar  was  given  him  under  a  promise  of  secrecy, 
but  he   was  so  imprudent  as  to  display  his  wealth,  on 
which  his  father,  a  rigid  Presbyterian,  conceiving  that  it 
was  impossible  for  him  to  come  by  so  much  money  hon- 
estly, charged  him  with  theft,  and  insisted  on  his  disclos- 
ing how  he  had  obtained  it ;  but  Christy  refused  to  tell, 
although  subject  to  several  severe  whippings.     He  said 
they  might  take  the  money,  but  they  might  whip  him  to 
death  before  he  would  let  them  know  how  he  had  obtained 
it.     At  length,  through  fatigue  or  intercession,  the  inflic- 


BECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  53 

lion  was  discontinued,  but  the  money  was  retained,  in 
order  that  it  mig-lit  be  restored  to  the  right  owner,  uho, 
to  my  certain  knowledge,  never  claimed  it.  I  must  own 
that  I  felt  sore  at  heart  when  informed  of  the  suffering  of 
the  generous  boy,  who  became  in  time  one  of  the  most 
esteemed  citizens  of  the  place.  I  seemed  to  feel  the  stripes 
on  my  own  body,  and  which  had  the  good  efTect  of  modi- 
fying very  considerably  some  of  my  incipient  views  of 
morality,  as  to  selling  old  breeches  that  did  not  belong  to 
me,  and  harboring  runaway  negroes. 

I  have  mentioned  my  grandmother ;  I  used  to  pass  a 
week  or  two  with  her  in  the  country,  two  or  three  times 
in  the  course  of  the  year.  I  thought  my  father  had  de- 
rived all  his  genius  from  her.  She  doated  on  him — he 
was  the  constant  theme  of  her  discourse,  excepting  when 
it  turned  on  Scripture  and  religion.  She  related  numer- 
ous anecdotes  of  his  early  indications  of  extraordinary 
capacity.  I  learned  the  Scotch  dialect  from  her,  and  read 
to  her  "  The  Gentle  Shepherd,-'  and  other  poems  of  Ram- 
say and  Ferguson,  and  often  listened  with  admiration 
while  she  described  the  Duke  of  Argyle's  castle  and  its 
scenery.  My  father  had  a  curious  collection  of  the  Scot- 
tish poets,  from  James,  author  of  the  "King's  Quair"  and 
"Gavin  Douglass,"  down  to  Burns.  The  two  greatest 
and  best  of  Britain's  kings,  Alfred  of  England  and  James 
of  Scotland,  were  minstrels  like  the  man  after  God's  own 
heart,  and  children  of  genius.  They  will  forever  live  in 
the  hearts  of  their  respective  countries,  while  the  iron- 
souled  Edwards  and  Henrys  will  be  remembered  with 
mingled  feelings  of  hate  and  admiration.  My  father  was 
a  perfect  enthusiast  in  everything  that  related  to  Scotland, 
although  but  five  years  old  when  he  left  that  country  I 
His  Scotch  poems  are  among  the  most  felicitous  of  his 
productions;  and  the  character  of  Duncan,  in  "Modern 


64  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

Chivalry,"  will  lose  nothing-  in  the  comparison  with  simi- 
lar characters  drawn  by  Walter  Scott :  Andrew  Fairser- 
vice,  for  instance.  Duncan  Ferguson  was  prior  to  Scott's 
Andrew  Fairservice. 

My  father's  love  of  letters  was  such,  that  he  always 
begrudged  the  time  devoted  to  the  drudgery  of  business ; 
and  nothing  so  eflfectualh^  tried  his  patience  as  the  idle 
delay  of  a  client  after  his  business  was  accomplished. 
Although  of  refined  and  polished  manners,  a  gentleman 
of  the  old  school,  he  could  not  contain  himself  on  such 
occasions,  but  frequently  requested  the  client  to  leave  him, 
as  he  had  other  business  to  attend  to  of  great  importance. 
As  I  sat  in  his  study,  and  not  in  the  outer  office  with 
the  students,  I  was  present  at  his  conferences  with  his 
clients,  and  had  constant  occasions  to  admire  his  love  of 
justice,  his  sterling  integrity,  and  perfect  disinterestedness. 
People  may  cry  out  against  the  profession  of  the  law,  but 
an  honest  lawyer  may  be  a  most  useful  personage,  and 
many  lawyers  are  so  who  are  included  in  the  general 
denunciation  against  the  profession.  We  hear  much  more 
about  dishonest  lawyers  than  of  disJionest  clients,  and  yet, 
without  such,  there  would  be  very  little  business  for  law- 
yers. I  will  not  deny  that  there  are  pettifoggers  who 
encourage  suits,  but  few  persons  are  aware  how  many 
are  prevented  from  engaging  in  them,  and  how  many  do 
go  to  law  against  the  most  earnest  advice  of  their  lawyer. 
My  father  always  made  it  a  point  to  discourage  litigation. 
I  have  often  heard  him  say:  "Go  away,  sir;  no  man  of 
sense  goes  to  law — did  you  ever  hear  of  my  going  to  law?" 
If  a  defendant  wished  him  to  procrastinate  a  just  demand, 
he  sternly  refused.  "Pay  your  debts,  sir;  did  a^ou  ever 
hear  that  I  refused  to  pay  my  debts?"  The  most  lucrative 
practice  at  that  day,  when  there  were  no  banks,  was  the 
collection  of  money  for  the  Eastern  merchants ;  his  strict 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  55 

punctuality  and  integrity  gavo  him  the  oomniand  of  this 
business.  His  remarkable  eloquence  and  learning,  also, 
gave  him  the  first  practice  as  an  advocate,  so  that  lucra- 
tive business  was  rather  forced  upon  than  sought  by  him. 

It  would  be  a  fruitful  theme  to  speak  of  my  school- 
fellows at  the  academy,  but  it  would  occupy  too  much 
space  for  the  plan  of  these  memoirs.  I  will,  however, 
name  Morgan  Neville,  "William  Robinson, William  O'llara, 
and  Charles  Wilkins,  of  the  first  class.  The  first  of  these 
was  the  first  of  the  first;  the  story  of  the  "Last  of  the 
Boatmen,"  "Chevalier  Pubac,"  etc.,  are  of  themselves 
suflicient  to  stamp  him  as  a  man  of  genius.  But  his  ac- 
complishments in  everything  which  can  form  a  perfect  gen- 
tleman leave  him  no  superior  in  this  country,  and  few 
equals.  It  is  wonderful  that  such  a  man  should  not  be 
sought  after,  and  tendered  the  highest  official  stations  in 
this  pure  government  of  wisdom  and  virtue,  where  the 
beau  ideal  of  Fenelon  might  be  expected  to  be  realized! 
In  the  second  class  I  will  name  James  O'Hara,  Fayette 
Neville,  Wilkins  Tannehill,  and  his  cousin  James  C.  Wil- 
kins. Mr.  Tannehill  resides  at  Nashville,  and  is  one  of 
the  best  writers  in  our  country. 

The  usual  accomplishment  of  dancing  was  bestowed 
upon  me;  and  such  was  the  degree  of  my  attainments, 
that  after  the  second  quarter  the  professor  of  the  dance 
cho.se  Morgan  Neville  and  myself  to  exhibit  a  horn[>ipe, 
which  was  then  considered  the  ne  plus  ultra  of  the  sal- 
tatory science.  I  also  took  lessons  in  fencing  with  the 
small  sword  from  M.  De  Lisle,  for  aught  I  know  to  the 
contrary,  a  cousin  of  the  Abbe  De  Lisle.  It  is,  perhaps, 
unnecessary  to  say  that  I  never  had  occasion  to  wear  or 
to  use  my  weapon.  In  another  art  I  was  entirely  self- 
taught,  and  on  that  account  placed  the  more  value  on 
the  acquisition.     This  was  the  art  of  walking  the  wire 


56  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

and  slack  rope!  An  cxhil)ition  of  ground  and  lofty  tum- 
bling, slack  rope  and  wire  came  to  our  town  and  awakened 
a  new  ambition  in  the  minds  of  the  more  aspiring  am6ng 
the  boys.  I  was  one  of  a  society  who  fixed  up  a  wire  in 
a  stable,  and  after  many  bruises  and  narrow  escapes,  at 
length,  although  forsaken  by  my  companions,  I  sur- 
mounted every  difiBculty.  That  one  so  exceedingly  vola- 
tile and  unsteady  in  general  should  possess  more  perse- 
verance than  others  has  been  a  matter  of  surprise  to 
myself;  and  I  have  sometimes  thought  that  I  was  alto- 
gether indebted  to  this  contradictory  quality  in  m}'  nature 
for  an}'  superiority  1  ma}^  have  evinced  in  any  particular 
pursuit, — that  is,  to  the  capacity  to  persevere,  and  not  to 
any  peculiar  aptitude.  Such  was  the  degree  of  proficiency 
I  attained,  that  Avhen  the  showman  returned  to  the  village 
at  the  end  of  half  a  vear,  I  was  actually  able  to  take  his 
place  on  the  wire,  to  the  infinite  amusement  of  the  spec- 
tators. This  happened  when  Passamonte  was  called  out 
of  the  room,  in  consequence  of  an  attempt  of  some  boys 
to  break  in,  in  order  to  witness  the  exhibition  gratis ; 
when  he  returned,  and  saw  me  like  an  usurper  on  the 
throne,  he  could  not  contain  his  fury,  while  I  made  good 
my  retreat  behind  the  benches. 

The  reader  will  expect  to  hear  something  of  my  kind 
benefactress,  who  had  been  so  much  afflicted  by  my  de- 
parture for  Louisiana.  Joe  carried  me  to  see  her,  on  the 
evening  of  my  return  from  that  eventful  peregrination, 
and  the  joy  which  she  manifested,  and  the  caresses  with 
which  she  overwhelmed  me,  can  be  better  imagined  than 
described.  She  placed  in  my  arms  her  infant  daughter, 
her  first  and  last  born  child,  and  caused  my  face  to  be 
suffused  with  blushes,  by  telling  me  that  the  innocent 
babe  was  to  be  my  icife;  and  yet  this  wish,  formed  by  her 
perhaps  at  the  moment  of  the  birth  of  her  daughter,  has 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  57 

been  aetiially  realized — she  is  my  wife,  and  the  mother  of 
my  cliikh-en  !  The  story  wouhl  be  too  lon«r  for  a  di- 
gression, whiU'  its  incidents  are  too  much  like  those  of 
romance  for  this  grave  narrative.  And  poor  Joe,  what 
became  of  him  ?  I  am  sorry  that  I  can  give  no  favorable 
account  of  the  devoted,  passionately,  the  fiercely-devoted, 
friend  of  my  childhood.  My  hither  endeavored  to  make 
him  a  good  man,  and  a  great  one  if  nature  had  permitted; 
but,  alas !  his  mind  was  cast  in  another  mould.  All  the 
pains  taken  to  elevate  his  soul  and  enlarge  his  intellect 
were  lost.  The  ])hysiognomist  might  attribute  this  to  the 
low,  narrow,  wrinkled  forehead,  his  thick  lips  and  pug 
nose;  the  phrenologist  would  say  that  the  animal  organs 
in  the  rear  of  the  skull  were  too  largely  developed.  Ho 
was  brave  to  excess,  and  loved  me  to  such  a  degree  that 
he  would  have  rushed  through  flames  and  floods  for  me, 
and  woe  to  the  boy  who  dared  to  offer  me  an  insult.  But 
be  also  loved  whisky  and  tobacco,  and  was  the  leader  iu 
every  wicked  and  mischievous  prank.  His  propensities 
were  almost  entirely  animal,  and,  except  the  history  of 
tlie  Irish  "Rogues  and  Rapparees,"  the  story  of  Donald 
M 'Donald,  and  other  obscene  things,  I  could  never  dis- 
cover that  he  had  much  relish  for  books;  and  yet  his 
opportunities  were  excellent ;  no  pains  or  expense  w^ere 
spared  to  give  him  an  education.  Next  to  General  Ne- 
ville's black  Andy,  he  was  the  greatest  marble-player  in 
the  town;  and  such  was  his  bold  and  commanding  charac- 
ter in  the  field  and  in  the  street,  that  when  the  boys  of 
the  town  carried  on  a  mimic  war,  Joe  was  chosen  the 
commander-in-chief  of  the  upper  town,  while  a  son  of 
Colonel  William  Butler  (a  noble  race  of  people)  was  the 
captain  of  the  lower.  Joe  would  have  risen  to  be  the 
greater  hero  of  the  two.  The  too  close  as.sociation  with 
this  lad  was  unfortunate  for  me.     From  pure  affection,  he 

G 


58  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

endeavored  to  instruct  me  in  all  the  ways  of  vice.  I  am 
not  about  to  make  confessions — they  would  not  be  edify- 
ing. I  have  suffered  many  an  inward  pang,  and  have 
blushed  for  my  faults  when  no  human  eye  rested  upon  me. 
Whether  I  was  naturally  not  inclined  to  evil,  or  whether 
the  lessons  impressed  upon  me  at  St.  Genevieve  con- 
tributed to  my  safety,  I  am  not  able  to  ^aj.  I  was  pos- 
sessed of  a  keen,  moral  sense,  which  caused  me  to  feel  a 
painful  sting-  of  self-condemnation  for  every  aberration 
from  truth  and  virtue.  If,  from  the  temptation  of  passion, 
or  other  cause,  I  have  fallen  into  vice,  it  has  never  ceased 
to  be  odious  and  disgusting  in  my  sight.  If  I  had  but 
few  virtues,  I  may  almost  say  that  I  had  no  vices.  On 
one  occasion  Joe  carried  me  to  a  midnight  club  of  youth- 
ful outlaws,  who  collected  their  stores  of  plunder,  of  every 
description,  chiefly  from  gardens  and  orchards,  at  their 
place  of  rendezvous.  They  had  whisky ;  it  was  put  to 
my  lips,  and  if  I  had  relished  the  circean  draught,  it  is 
probable  I  should  at  once  have  joined  the  swinish  herd ; 
but  I  put  away  the  cup — the  tincup — with  disgust,  and 
never  afterward  assisted  at  the  meetings  of  the /ra^e?'>i%. 
My  father  became  acquainted  with  the  wicked  ways  of 
the  unfortunate  lad,  and  saw  the  necessity  of  separating 
him  from  me — gave  him  a  sound  drubbing,  a  new  suit  of 
clothes,  a  purse  of  money,  and  then  turned  him  adrift, 


As  a  weed, 


Flung  from  the  rock,  on  ocean's  foam  to  sail, 

Where'er  the  surge  may  sweep,  the  tempest's  breath  prevail. 

I  never  saw  Joe  but  once  afterward.  He  had  been  a 
constable  in  some  new  settlement.  If  there  had  been 
war,  he  would  have  acquired  imfading  military  renown, 
and,  like  othei\^,  would  have  filled  higher  civil  offices  than 
greater  and  better  men. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  67 

history  is  full  of  curious  incident,  which  it  niij^ht  he  worth 
while  to  rescue  from  oblivion.-  My  esteemed  friend,  Mor- 
gan Neville,  in  his  admirable  productions,  "Mike  Fink," 
the  "Last  of  the  Boatmen,"  "Chevalier  Dubac,"  and 
others;  has  clearly  proved  this.  I  must,  however,  correct 
an  inaccuracy  he  has  fallen  into  in  relation  to  the  Cheva- 
lier Dubac.  It  was  not  a  monkey  which  he  consulted,  in 
presence  of  his  country  customers,  about  the  lowest  price 
of  his  goods — it  was  a  raccoon.  What  should  we  think 
of  the  historian  who  would  write  that  Scipio  Africanus 
consulted  a  sheep  instead  of  an  antelope  ?  It  ought  also 
to  be  put  on  record  that  the  raccoon  used  sometimes  (like 
a  sans  calotte  as  he  was)  to  aspire  to  be  free;  on  these 
occasions  the  Chevalier  was  much  annoyed  by  the  boys, 
who  would  run  to  him,  crying  out,  "M.  Dubac,  M.  Dubac, 
your  raccoon  has  got  loose — your  raccoon  has  got  loose ;" 
to  this,  he  would  rather  pctulantl}^  yet  slowly,  and  with 
a  most  polite  motion  of  the  head  and  hands,  repeat,  "Late 
eem  go — late  eem  go.^^ 

This  town,  being  the  key  or  rather  the  gate  of  the  West, 
was  frequently  visited  by  travelers  of  distinction,  who 
remained  a  few  days  making  preparations  for  their  voy- 
age. This  circumstance,  together  with  others  which  I 
might  enumerate,  gave  a  peculiar  character  and  interest 
to  the  place.  I  have  a  distant  recollection  of  the  present 
king  of  France  and  his  two  brothers,  who  were  on  their 
way  to  New  Orleans.  They  w^ere  plain,  modest  young 
men,  whose  simplicity  of  manners  was  favorably  con- 
trasted with  those  of  the  showy  city  gentlemen,  with 
fair  top-boots  and  ratan,  and  who  found  nt»thing  good 
enough  for  them  at  the  tavern,  although  at  home  content 
with  an  undivided  portion  of  an  attic  chamber,  and  a  meal 
hastily  snatched.  It  is  invariably  the  wisest  and  best- 
bred  man  that  finds  the  fewest  things  to  complain  of,  and 


68  BRACKEN  RIDGE'S 

who  is  most  easy  to  please.  But  such  is  the  desire  of 
being  noticed  that  some  would  rather  pass  for  cub  bears 
than  be  disappointed  in  their  endeavors  to  attract  attention. 


.    CHAPTER   VIII. 

Account  of  the  Author's  Education  continued — Is  placed  as  a 
Clerk  in  an  Office — Various  Studies. 

Befoee  I  had  completed  my  classical  studies  at  the 
academy,  I  was  taken  from  it,  and  again  placed  under  the 
private  tuition  of  my  relation,  Mr.  John  Gilkison.  This 
gentleman  was  passionately  devoted  to  letters,  had  given 
up  the  idea  of  pursuing  the  profession  of  the  law,  and,  by 
the  aid  of  my  father,  had  set  up  a  bookstore  and  circu- 
lating library  in  a  wing  of  the  house,  perhaps  the  first 
establishment  of  this  kind  west  of  the  mountains.  As 
the  business  of  the  store  furnished  only  occasional  em- 
plo3anent,  he  had  abundant  leisure  and  opportunity  to 
pursue  his  studies.  His  favorite  reading  was  history 
and  the  Scotch  metaphysical  writers,  Reid,  Stewart,  and 
such  authors  as  Locke,  Paley,  Hutchison,  as  well  as  New- 
ton and  Bacon.  Much  of  his  time  was  devoted  to  natural 
philosophy  and  the  higher  mathematics,  for  which  he 
seemed  to  possess  an  extraordinar}^  aptitude.  He  sat  up 
until  midnight,  ''exhausting  the  lamp  of  life  in  feeding 
the  lamp  of  science."  In  consequence  of  intense  applica- 
tion to  his  abstruse  studies,  he  fell  a  victim,  in  the  thir- 
tieth year  of  his  age,  to  a  rapid  consumption.  I  was 
always  at  his  side,  and  trimmed  tlie  same  lamp,  but  in 
very  different  reading.     I  luxuriated  on  the  sweetmeats 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST  69 

of  the  bookstore,  running  through  novel  after  novel,  and 
searehing-  out  every  liglit  or  amusing  work  in  the  store 
or  library,  until  at  last  I  became  completely  surfeited. 
I  then  took  to  poetry,  belles-lettres,  biographical  works, 
and  politics.  The  various  writings  brought  forth  by  the 
French  Revolution  took  up  much  of  my  time.  For  a  lad 
of  fifteen  my  reading  was  singularly  various,  but  far 
from  being  the  most  suitable. 

My  lessons,  in  the  mean  time,  were  but  little  attended 
to ;  my  instructor  would  not  resort  to  coercion,  and  be- 
sides, as  I  was  almost  his  only  companion,  treated  me 
too  much  on  a  footing  of  equality  for  a  scholar.  It  was 
quite  amusing  to  hear  us  disputing  and  discussing  a 
thousand  topics,  in  which  he  was  profoundly  versed,  and 
of  which  I  could  know  but  little ;  but  being  earnest  and 
obstinate,  with  a  most  fertile  invention,  and  a  flow  of 
words,  it  was  not  easy  to  silence  me.  One  evening  in 
particular,  in  a  very  learned  discussion,  I  astonished  him 
and  several  others  who  happened  to  drop  in,  by  my  ve- 
hemence of  manner,  eloquence  of  language,  and  fertility 
of  thought,  but  which  proceeded  from  a  ludicrous  cause. 
I  had  taken  ofl"  my  shoes,  and  was  standing  on  the 
hearth,  which  had  become  heated,  so  that  the  unusual  in- 
spiration was  communicated  through  the  soles  of  my 
feet.  I  have  since  thought  that  a  hot  griddle  would  be 
an  excellent  thing  to  give  animation  to  some  of  our  pub- 
lic speakers! 

At  this  time  my  father  was  unhappily  plunged  so  deep 
in  party  politics  that  he  almost  lost  sight  of  me.  Fede- 
ralism and  Democracy  were  then  at  their  height.  He 
was  a  supporter  of  Jefferson  and  M'Kean,  an  enthusiast 
in  the  cause  of  France,  and,  from  his  high  temperament, 
incapable  of  pursuing  anything  in  moderation.  He  was 
also  involved  in  a   personal   difterence,  growing  out  of 

1 


10  BRAVKENRIDGE'S 

politics,  with  the  presiding  judge  of  the  court  in  which 
he  practiced,  and  fearful  that  he  might  be  provoked  to  do 
something  which  might  he  taken  advantage  of,  he  resolved 
to  retire  from  practice.  He  wrote  with  the  pungency  and 
force  of  a  Junius,  and  spoke  with  the  inspired  eloquence 
of  a  Henry ;  it  is,  therefore,  .not  to  be  wondered  at  that 
he  soon  became  a  formidable  politician.  He  purchased 
types  and  press,  and  set  up  a  young  man  as  editor  of  a 
paper,  which  he  previously  named  the  '*  Tree  of  Liberty," 
with  a  motto  from  Scripture — "And  the  leaves  of  the 
tree  shall  be  for  the  healing  of  the  nation."  At  this 
period,  with  very  few  exceptions,  the  professional  men, 
persons  of  wealth  and  education,  and  those  in  public  of- 
fices, were  on  the  Federal  side  ;  and  such  was  the  vio- 
lence of  party  dissensions  that  it  put  a  stop  to  all  the 
pleasures  of  social  intercourse  ;  party  differences  and  per- 
sonal animosity  almost  signified  the  same  thing.  He 
wrote  a  number  of  things,  sometimes  in  prose,  some- 
times in  verse,  which  I  read  with  great  delight,  and  often 
committed  to  memory,  being  of  course  a  violent  Demo- 
crat as  well  as  himself.  The  great  majority,  both  in  town 
and  country,  was  then  on  the  Federal  side ;  but  fifty 
Democrats  could  be  mustered  in  Pittsburg,  and  not  all 
these  were  entitled  to  put  a  ticket  into  the  ballot-box. 
The  success  in  the  elections  of  M'Kean  and  Jefferj^on 
soon  effected  a  numerical  change:  according  to  the  usual 
course  of  things,  the  strongest  side  is  apt  to  grow  still 
stronger  on  that  account ;  and  the  rising  party  is  apt  to 
continue  to  rise,  as  revolutions  never  go  backward.  The 
enthusiasm  of  my  father  in  the  cause  of  France,  has  ap- 
peared to  me  something  unaccountable,  since  I  have 
thought  upon  the  matter  for  myself.  Instead  of  repub- 
licanizing  the  universe,  the  glorious  vision  of  his  mind, 
their  wild,  plundering,   military  dehorduge  has  ended  in 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF   THE    WFST.  71 

fixing  the  foundations  of  regal  government  more  firmly, 
while  their  misnamed  deliberative  assemblies  at  home 
were  vile  mobs,  and  their  patriots  atroeious  cut-throats. 
Their  atrocious  excesses  soon  changed  his  opinions.  The 
writings  of  Burke,  even  at  the  time  when  I  considered 
my  father's  opinions  as  gospel,  produced  a  strong  impres- 
sion on  my  mind.  At  fifteen  I  read  his  pamphlet  on  the 
French  Revolution,  and  was  captivated  Ijy  the  splendor 
of  the  diction,  and  much  inclined  to  adopt  his  views. 
The  writings  of  Cobbett  created  disgust,  but  an  anony- 
mous book,  styled  "Jean  Jacques  Couteau,"*  excited 
within  me  a  dee})  horror  of  the  monsters  quickened  into 
life  by  the  putrescent  fermentation  of  the  Parisian  ca- 
naiUe.  The  Journal  of  Dr.  Moore,  the  author  of  Zeluco, 
View  of  Manners,  etc.,  and  father  of  Sir  John  Moore, 
who  fell  at  Corunna,  appeared  to  me  the  most  just  and  im- 
partial account  of  the  passing  scenes  of  those  awful  days. 
Walter  Scott  has  borrowed  freely  from  this  work,  in  his 
Life  of  Napoleon,  but  has  not  improved  upon  what  he 
has  thus  appropriated. 

It  was  aljout  this  time  I  first  saw  myself  in  print  in  the 
"  Tree  of  Liberty."  My  production  was  copied  and  re- 
copied  at  least  twenty  times:  the  change  of  a  word,  the 
transposition  of  a  sentence,  or  member  of  a  sentence, 
caused  me  to  write  it  all  over,  to  satisfy  my  taste,  which 
was  excessively  fastidious.  The  original  conception  cost 
me  no  trouble,  but  it  was  the  after  i)olish  which  I  found 
so  arduous.  The  performance  was  at  last  sent  anony- 
mously to  the  editor,  and  no  unfortunate  dramatic  adven- 
turer ever  awaited  his  fate  with  more  trepidation.  The 
paper  came  from  the  press,  and  my  two  columns  occupied 
a  conspicuous  place,  with  an  editorial  remark   that  the 


*  Perba])S  alluding  to  the  revolutioiiarv  monster,  Cuui/ion. 


72  BRACKENRIDGES 

communication  evinced  uncommon  depth  of  thought  and 
mature  reflection  in  the  author,  although  he  was  appar- 
ently unused  to  political  discussions,  and  his  present  ap- 
pearance   might   be    ascribed  to  the  importance  of   the 
subject!     I  trembled  like  an  aspen  leaf  as  I  cast  my  eyes 
over  the  first-born  of  my  brain,  while  my  vision  was  ac- 
tually obscured  by  something  like  a  mist.     I  passed  over 
it  with  such  rapidity  that  its  periods  seemed  as  destitute 
of  euphony  as  the  catalogue  of  an  auctioneer ;  and  I  dis- 
cerned a  thousand  faults  in  the  print  which  had  escaped 
me  in  the  manuscript,  and  wiiich  occasioned  much  cha- 
grin, as  I  supposed  that  others  would   see  them  as  I  did 
— but  the  secret  was  my  own.     From  that  time  I  became 
a  writer,  and  if  all  the  forgotten  and  fugitive  things  which 
have  come  from  my  pen  since  that  first  attempt,  could  be 
collected,  they  would  make  many  volumes.     When  I  look 
over  a  few  of  them  which  I  have  preserved,  I  find  that 
my  improvement  is  less  than  I  could    have    expected. 
Perhaps  what  I  have  gained  has  been  in  the  facility  of 
execution ;  perhaps  I  may  have  lost  in  the    delicacy  of 
taste,  for  I  was  then  seldom  satisfied  with  less  than  the 
tenth  or  twelfth  edition,  and  never  with  what  was  written 
currents  calamo.     I  have  at  least  ninety  per  cent,  less  of 
the  enthousia.^me  exalte  which  then   caused  me  to  throw 
my  whole   soul   into  the  work;  but  the  teuiperament  of 
fifteen  is  different  from  that  of  fifty. 

There  being  a  vacancy  on  the  supreme  bench  of  the 
State,  after  the  election  of  the  chief  justice,  M'Kean,  to  be 
governor,  my  father  was  appointed  to  fill  it.  In  conse- 
quence of  this,  he  removed  with  his  family  from  Pittsburg 
to  the  town  of  Carlisle,  so  as  to  be  nearer  the  center.  It 
was  determined  that  I  should  remain  wlirrc  1  was,  with 
Mr  Gilkison,  who  was  a])pointed  prothonotary,  and  serve 
an  apprenticeship  of  a  year  or  two  in  the  ollice  preparatory 


RECOLLECTWXS   OF   TIIi:    ]\'i:ST.  73 

to  the  commencement  of  the  study  of  the  hiw.  My  rela- 
tive survived  his  appointment  but  a  short  time,  ami  was- 
succeeded  by  Mr  Hates,  the  ^'•entleman  who  was  employed 
to  assist  him.  As  both  appointments  were  made  tlirough 
my  father's  influence,  it  was  but  reasonable  to  expect  the 
friendship  of  Mr  Bates  toward  me.  lie  continued  mv  in 
the  office,  and  furnished  me  board  -and  clothinir  for  my 
services;  and  I  fear  the  agreement  was  not  as  faithfully 
performed  toward  him  as  it  was  on  his  part  to  me.  I 
was  a  very  indifferent  clerk,  a  wretched  copyist ;  my  head 
was  so  niueh  of  a  beehive,  so  full  of  projects  of  my  own, 
that  I  made  continual  blunders.  If  he  had  not  been  one 
of  the  mildest  and  most  indulgent  men  in  the  world,  he 
would  have  knocked  me  down  twent}'  times  a  day.  I 
detested  the  dull  labor  of  transcribing  names,  indexes,  and 
dates,  and  I  believe  injured  my  memory  by  learning  to 
forfjet,  as  the  only  way  I  could  copy  without  making  mis- 
takes. I  was  really  anxious  to  correct  my  defects,  and 
felt  much  mortifieation  from  them.  In  copying  a  deed, 
whenever  I  came  to  the  words,  "  woods,  ways,  and  water- 
courses," it  was  impossible  to  restrain  my  imagination; 
and  in  writing  names,  the  associations  called  U})  bv  them, 
threw  me  into  a  reverie,  from  whieh  I  did  not  awaken, 
until  I  found  that  for  the  name  of  Smith  I  had  substituted 
that  of  Pocahontas.  This  dull  routine  interfered  with  my 
habits  of  reading,  and  these,  exceeding  my  industry  as  a 
clerk,  interfered  with  my  habits  of  business,  I  read  every- 
thing that  came  in  my  way.  Mr  Bates  often  remonstrated 
with  me,  in  the  most  mild  and  delicate  manner,  which 
touched  my  feelings  more  powerfully  than  if  he  had  treated 
me  harshly.  He  agreed,  at  last,  to  com}>romise  the  mat- 
ter, by  allowing  me  to  keep  the  Elegant  Extracts  in  Prose 
and  Verse  in  mv  desk,  as  also  Blair's  Lectures,  Abbe 
Maury  on   Eloquence,  and  Curran's    Speeches,  Cicero's 

7* 


74  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

Oratur  on  his  de  Officiis  ; — any  others  were  to  be  read  at 
•our  lodgings.  I  will  mention  an  instance  of  my  almost 
instinctive  discrimination  of  works  of  taste.  I  once  picked 
up,  in  the  bar-room  of  a  tavern,  a  volume,  with  the  title- 
page  and  a  few  of  the  first,  and  a  number  of  the  conclud- 
ing pages  torn  off;  I  read  but  a  few  sentences,  until  I 
felt  myself  chained  down  upon  a  bench,  and  ran  through 
the  whole  with  the  greatest  avidity :  it  was  the  Rasselas 
of  Dr.  Johnson. 

I  ^yas  seized  with  a  singular  passion  for  drawing  and 
painting.  With  my  usual  ardor,  I  devoted  every  moment 
I  could  spare  to  this  new  pursuit  Sometimes  I  sat  up 
the  greater  part  of  the  night,  and  I  even  thought  I  would 
be  willing  to  spend  the  remainder  of  my  life  in  prison  if 
I  could  be  allowed  to  do  nothing  else  but  copy  drawings. 
I  ransacked  the  whole  town  for  these,  and  for  works  on 
the  subject  of  painting,  for  the  biography  of  painters,  for 
Indian  ink,  crayons,  and  water-colors.  Yet,  I  believe,  I 
had  nothing  but  a  passion  for  this  elegant  art;  nature 
had  given  me  no  original  aptitude.  By  extraordinary 
diligence  I  acquired  a  singular  facility  in  copying  the  out- 
lines of  drawings  and  engravings ;  but  as  to  shading,  or 
the  production  of  anything  original,  I  was  very  deficient. 
Mr.^  Bates  had  a  splendid  copy  of  Lavater,  with  three 
hundred  engravings  :  these  I  copied  at  night,  at  the  same 
time  poring  over  the  study  of  physiognomy.  The  only 
thing  original,  if  it  might  be  called  such,  which  I  could 
produce,  was  a  rough  sketch  of  striking  faces,  generally 
caricature.  It  was  thought  that  I  had  a  genius  for  paint- 
ing, but  this  was  a  mistake ;  all  the  instruction  in  the 
world  would  not  have  made  me  anything  more  than 
a  copyist.  After  awhile  I  found  it  out,  and  gave  my 
attention  again  to  my  books,  which  was  never  entirely 
remitted.     As  I  have  mentioned  the  subject  of  physiog- 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  75 

nonw,  I  will  remark,  that,  in  ray  opinion,  four-fifths  of 
Lavater's  system  is  fancy;  something,  it  is  true,  may  be 
inferred  from  the  predominant  use  of  certain,  muscles  or 
nerves,  called  into  action  by  particular  passions  or  propen- 
sities ;  but  the  only  part  of  it  which  has  any  foundation 
in  nature  is  that  which  it  has  in  common  with  phrenol- 
ogy. Can  there  be  anything  more  fanciful  than  the  idea 
that  prominent  eyes  indicate  a  propensity  for  drink,  and 
that  that  prominence  is  occasioned  by  the  protruding  of 
the  eyeballs  in  gloating  on  the  favorite  beverage  !  There 
is,  doubtless,  much  admirable  philosophy  in  the  work  of 
Lavater,  in  exhibiting  the  power  of  education  in  correct- 
ing evil  propensities  and  in  cultivating  virtues ;  but  as 
to  his  furnishing  a  scheme  by  which  the  characters  and 
fitness  of  men  can  be  determined  with  anything  like  cer- 
tainty, it  is  out  of  the  question.  I  have  seen  all  his  rules 
repeatedly  contradicted,  so  far  as  relates  to  the  passions 
and  shades  of  passions ;  as  to  the  powers  of  the  intellect, 
I  think  favorably  of  his  theory  of  the  line  of  the  forehead 
and  the  other  features,  usually  spoken  of  as  the  facial 
angle,  and  first  suggested  by  Blumenbach. 

I  was  also  seized  with  a  desire  to  play  on  some  instru- 
ment of  music,  and  took  lessons  on  the  violin,  and  then 
on  the  flute.  But  I  found  that  I  had  a  very  bad  ear,  and 
was  advised  to  give  it  up.  Yet,  I  was  passionately  fond 
of  music  ;  it  has  always  had  a  powerful  effect  on  my  feel- 
ings. It  soothes  the  mind,  and  tames  the  ferocious  heart. 
At  church  the  music  has  often  reconciled  me  to  a  dull 
sermon,  in  which  bad  reasoning  and  bad  language  were 
rendered  almost  torturing,  by  bad  voice  and  bad  delivery.* 

*  Phrenology  has  caused  a  revolution  in  metaphysics,  or  more 
properly  f;?  tlie  philosophy  of  mind ^  and  has  superseded  Locke,  and 
the  greater  part  of  the  Scottish  school  of  metaphysics.  There  are 
still  bigots  who  reject  it,  as  they  do  the  theory  of  Malthus,  from 
ignorance  of  what  they  reject. 


7  6  BRA  C KEN  RID  GE'S 


CHAPTEK    IX. 

Legal  Studies — First  Court  held  in  a  new  County. 

During  the  latter  part  of  my  apprenticeship  in  the 
office  I  attended  the  court,  kept  the  minutes,  swore  the 
juries  and  witnesses,  and  listened  to  the  speeches  of  law- 
3^ers,  and  the  charges  of  the  judge,  by  means  of  which  I 
picked  up  much  law,  in  the  way  a  child  acquires  its  ver- 
nacular tongue.  The  bar  was  a  very  able  one,  and  the 
lawyers  were  in  the  habit  of  handling  every  subject  in  the 
most  elalx)rate  manner. 

It  was  now  determined  that  I  should  begin  a  course 
of  regular  legal  study,  being  in  my  eighteenth  year.  I 
had  gone  through  a  great  deal  of  literary  and  miscellaneous 
reading,  had  some  knowledge  of  history,  and  was  well 
versed  in  the  English  classics,  but  had  not  yet  read  any 
law  book.  Mr.  William  Ayres,  who  had  been  a  student 
of  my  father,  was  appointed  prothonotary  of  a  new  county 
called  Butler,  and,  as  he  did  not  intend  to  give  up  his 
practice  in  other  courts,  wanted  some  person  to  attend  to 
the  duties  of  his  office.  I  was  engaged  by  him,  and  was 
to  read  law,  excepting  when  my  time  would  be  required 
by  the  business,  which  would  not  often  be  the  case.  It 
was  thought  by  my  father  that  the  solitude  of  Butler 
would  be  more  favorable  to  application  than  the  society  of 
Pittsburg. 

On  my  arrival  at  Butler  there  were  a  few  log-houses 
just  raised,  but  not  sufficiently  completed  to  be  occupied. 
It  was  not  long  before  there  were  two  taverns,  a  store, 
and  a  blacksmith's  shop  ;  it  was  then  a  town.    The  coun- 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF   THE    WEST.  77 

try  around  was  an  entire  wilderness,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  scattered  settlements,  as  far  removed  from  each 
other  as  the  kraals  in  the  neigh))orhood  of  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope.  I  took  with  me  a  good  supply  of  books, 
together  with  the  library  of  Mr.  Ayres,  and  immediately 
tasked  myself  with  Blackstone's  Commentaries.  I  had 
also  some  books  selected  for  lighter  reading,  such  as 
Shakspeare,  Ossian,  the  Henriade,  Pope's  Homer,  Dacier's 
Horace,  the  Comedies  of  Moliere,  Plutarch's  Lives,  the 
Travels  of  Anacharsis,  Cicero's  de  Officii  and  his  orations, 
and  other  classical  productions.  I  was  also  provided  with 
a  light  fusee  for  exercise  and  amusement.  The  business 
of  the  office  requiring  but  little  of  my  time,  and  having 
an  unbounded  liberty,  with  a  most  exquisite  relish  for  its 
enjoyment,  no  small  portion  of  it  was  passed  in  wild  and 
uncertain  ramljles  through  the  romantic  hills  and  valleys 
of  Butler.  The  mornings  and  evenings  were  devoted  to 
study,  but  generally  the  day  was  sacred  to  liberty.  For 
months,  and  especially  during  autumn,  always  my  favor- 
ite season,  when  the  face  of  nature  is  covered  with  a  soft 
veil  of  pleasing  sadness,  I  wandered  forth,  without  know- 
ing whither  I  was  going  or  when  I  should  return.  It 
was  my  practice  to  have  my  gun  in  my  hand  and  my 
book  in  my  pocket.  I  should  have  felt  at  a  loss  without 
them,  although  I  seldom  used  either.  My  favorite  i)lace 
of  resort  was  Glade  Run,  which  was  more  i)icturesque 
and  romantic  than  the  fertile  valleys  of  the  Conequenes- 
sing.  The  scenery  was  such  as  Ossian  loves  to  describe; 
the  rocks,  the  grassy  glades,  the  steep  hills  crowned  with 
oak,  "the  l)lue  windings  of  a  stream."  Often  have  I  sat 
for  hours  on  the  edge  of  a  precipice,  as  if  personating  the 
genius  of  solitude.  I  gazed  on  the  silent  waste,  giving  wing 
to  fancy,  and  weaving  a  thousand  rainbow  tissues  of  the 
brain.     I  have  imagined  incidents  and  events  enough  to 


78  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

form  volumes  of  Arabian  tales.  And  will  any  one  say 
that  this  was  not  happiness  ?  Let  him  first  define  exactly 
wherein  happiness  consists.  I  followed  the  impulse  of 
nature,  for  I  had  not  then  read  either  Beattie's  Minstrel 
or  Zimmerman  on  Solitude.  Much  of  my  life  has  been 
passed  in  the  open  air,  and  to  this  I  ascribe,  in  a 
great  measure,  the  health  and  spirits  with  which  I  have 
been  generally  blessed.  Confinement  has  always  been 
insupportably  irksome  to  my  feelings.  The  Peripatetic 
school  for  me,  except  at  night,  which  was  my  time  for 
study.  On  one  of  my  excursions,  while  reclining  beneath 
an  oak,  near  a  descending  natural  meadow,  musing  on 
the  fate  of  empires,  a  noble  buck,  with  branching  antlers, 
walked  leisurely  up  the  hiirtoward  me.  My  gun  lay  by 
my  side,  but  the  majestic  appearance  of  the  beautiful 
creature  riveted  my  attention,  until  raising  his  head  he 
caught  my  eye,  lifted  his  white  tail,  wheeled  about,  and 
bounded  away  to  the  thicket. 

The  first  court  held  in  Butler  drew  the  whole  popula- 
tion to  the  town,  some  on  account  of  business,  some  to 
make  business,  but  the  greater  part  from  idle  curiosity. 
They  were  at  that  time  chiefly  Irish,  who  had  all  the 
characteristics  of  the  nation.  A  log-cabin  just  raised  and 
covered,  but  without  window- sash,  or  doors,  or  daubing, 
was  prepared  for  the  hall  of  justice.  A  carpenter's  bench 
with  three  chairs  upon  it  was  the  judgment-seat.  The  bar  of 
Pittsburg  attended,  and  the  presiding  judge,  a  stiff,  formal, 
and  pedantic  old  bachelor,  took  his  seat  supported  by  the 
two  associate  judges,  who  were  common  farmers,  one  of 
whom  was  l)lind  of  an  eye.  The  hall  was  barely  sufficient 
to  contain  the  henvh.,  bar,  jurors,  and  constables.  But  few 
of  the  spectators  could  be  accommodated  on  the  lower 
floor,  the  only  one  yet  laid  ;  many  therefore  clambered  up 
the  walls,  and  placing  their  hands  and  feet  in  the  open 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  79 

iiitorsticos  between  the  loirs  Iiuiig:  there,  suspendcMl  like 
enormous  Madagascar  l)ats.  Some  had  taken  })o.s.session 
of  the  joists,  and  l|ig-  John  M'Juukin  (who  until  now  had 
ruled  at  all  public  gatherings)  had  placed  a  foot  on  one 
joist  and  a  foot  on  another,  directly  over  the  heads  of  their 
honors,  standing  with  ou+stretehed  legs  like  the  Colossus 
of  Khodes.  The  judge's  sense  of  propriety  was  shocked 
at  this  exhibition.  The  sheriff,  John  M'Candless,  was 
called,  and  ordered  to  clear  the  walls  and  joists.  He  went 
to  work  with  his  assistants,  and  soon  pulled  down  by  the 
legs  those  who  were  in  no  very  great  haste  to  obey. 
M'Junkin  was  the  last,  and  began  to  growl  as  he  prepared 
to  descend.  "What  do  you  say,  sir?"  said  the  judge. 
"I  say  I  pay  my  taxes,  and  his  as  good  a  reete  here  as 
iny  mon."  "  Sheriff,  sheriff,"  said  the  judge,  "bring  him 
before  the  court !"  M'Junkin's  ire  was  now  up,  and,  as 
he  reached  the  floor,  began  to  strike  his  breast,  exclaiming, 
"^ly  name  is  John  M'Junkin,  d'ye  see — here's  the  brist 
that  niver  flunched,  if  so  be  it  was  in  goode  caase.  I'll 
Stan  iny  mon  a  hitch  in  Butler  County,  if  so  be  he'll  clear 
me  o'  the  la'."  "Bring  him  before  the  court!"  said  the 
judge.  He  was  accordingly  pinioned,  and  if  not  gagged, 
at  least  forced  to  be  silent  while  his  case  was  under  con- 
sideration. Some  of  the  lawyers  volunteered  as  amici 
ciunae,  some  ventured  a  word  of  apology  for  M'Juukin. 
The  judge  pronounced  sentence  of  imprisonment  for  two 
hours  in  the  jail  of  the  county,  and  ordered  the  sheriff  to 
take  him  into  custody.  The  sheriff,  with  much  simi)licity, 
observed,  "May  it  plase  the  coorte,  there  is  no  jail  at  all 
at  all  till  put  him  in."  Here  tlie  judge  took  a  learned 
distinction,  upon  which  he  expatiated  at  some  length  for 
the  benefit  of  the  bar.  He  said,  "There  were  two  kinds 
of  custody:  first,  safe  custody;  secondly,  close  custody. 
The  first  is,  where  the  body  must  be  forthcoming  to  answer 


80  BRA  CKENRID  GE '  S 

a  demand  or  an  accusation,  and  in  this  case  the  body  may 
be  delivered,  for  the  time  being,  out  of  the  hands  of  the 
law,  on  bail  or  mainprize;  but  wheregthe  imprisonment 
forms  a  part  of  the  satisfaction  or  punishment,  there  can 
be  no  bail  or  mainprize.  This  is  the  reason  of  the  common 
law,  in  relation  to  escapes  under  capias  ad  satisfaciendum, 
and  also  why  a  second  ca.  sa.  cannot  issue  after  the  de- 
fendant has  been  once  arrested  and  then  discharged  by 
the  plaintiff.  In  like  manner,  a  man  cannot  be  twice 
imprisoned  for  the  same  offense,  even  if  he  be  released 
before  the  expiration  of  the  term  of  imprisonment.  This 
is  clearly  a  case  of  close  custody — arcta  custodia,  and  the 
prisoner  must  be  confined,  body  and  limb,  Avithout  bail 
or  mainprize,  in  some  place  of  close  incarceration."  Here 
he  was  interrupted  by  the  sheriff,  who  seemed  to  have  hit 
upon  a  lucky  thought:  "May  it  plase  the  coorte,  I'me 
just  thinken  that  may  be  I  can  take  him  till  Bower's  pig- 
pen,— the  pigs  are  kilt  for  the  coorte,  an  it's  empy."  "You 
have  heard  the  opinion  of  the  court,"  said  the  judge ; 
"proceed,  sir;  do  your  duty,  sheriff!" 

The  sheriff  accordingly  retired  with  his  prisoner,  and 
drew  after  him  three-fourths  of  the  spectators  and  suitors, 
while  the  judge,  thus  relieved,  proceeded  to  organize  the 
court.  But  this  was  not  the  termination  of  the  affair. 
Peace  and  order  had  scarcely  been  restored  when  the 
sheriff  came  rushing  to  the  house,  with  a  crowd  at  his 
heels,  crying  out,  "  Mr.  Jidge,  Ak.  Jidgc  ;  may  it  plase 
the  coorte."  "What  is  the  matter,  sheriff?"  "Mr.  Jidge, 
Mr.  Jidge, — John  M'Junkin's  got  aflf,  d'3^e  mind." 
"  A¥hat !  escaped,  sheriff?  Summon  \\-\q posse  comitatus .^^ 
"  The  pusse,  the  pusse — what's  that,  may't  plase  your 
honor  ?  Now,  I'll  jist  tell  ye  how  it  hapi)ent.  He  was 
goiii  along  quee-etly  enough,  till  we  got  till  the  hazzle- 
j)tik'h,  an'  all  it  once  he  pitched  aff  iiitil  the  bushes,  an'  I 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  81 

after  him,  but  a  lunib  of  a  tree  kitched  me  fut,  and  I 
l>it(hc(l  three  rail  oft",  but  I  fell  forit,  and  that's  good  luck, 
ye  minte."  The  judge  eould  not  retain  his  gravity  ;  the 
bar  raised  a  laugh,  and  there  the  matter  ended,  after 
which  the  business  proceeded  queetly  enough. 

I  continued  a  year  at  Butler,  read  Blackstone,  Reeves's 
History  of  the  jLaw,  and  some  other  elementary  works, 
when  I  returned  to  Pittsburg,  for  the  purpose  of  entering 
the  ofl&ce  of  Mr.  Mountain,  and  there  to  begin  a  regular 
course  of  study  for  three  years.     I  went  to  board  at  the 
house  of  Mrs.  Earl,  where  I  had  been  during  part  of  my 
stay  with  Mr.  Bates.     The  kindness  of  Mrs..  Earl  toward 
me  was  that  of  a  mother,  and  I  should  be  ungrateful  in- 
deed if  I  could  ever  forget  it.     During  my  absence  the 
friend  and  companion  of  my  youth,  John  Nicholson,  had 
gone  down  the  river  to  seek  his  fortune  as  a  physician. 
He  had  not  the  advantage  of  a  regular  education,  but 
had  a  strong,  original  mind,  and  a  natural  aptitude  for 
the  science  of  medicine,  which  he  cultivated  under  the 
instruction  of  an  experienced  old  physician,   and  with 
great  assiduity.     He  had  a  warm  and  affectionate  heart. 
"We  had  become  so  much  attached  to  each  other  that  we 
almost   renounced   all    other   society.     We  walked,  and 
read,  and  talked  together,  and  even  kept  up  an  epistolary 
corre.spondence,  once  a  day,  while  he  was  confined  to  the 
shop  and  I  to  the  office.     The  friend.ship  of  some  individual 
of-  similar  views  and  feelings  had  become  an  absolute 
want.     The  solitude  of  the  crowd  has  always  been  pain- 
ful to  me,  and  I  have  felt  more  alone  in  the  streets  of  a 
great  city,  or  in  the  whirl  of  the  ball-room,  tlian  when 
surrounded   by  nothing   but  forests.     I   was   fortunate, 
shortly  after  my  arrival,  in  finding  a  friend  and  companion, 
who  became  more  than  a  brother  to  me.     Stepping  into 

8 


82  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

Mr.  Baldwin's  office,  while  he  was  absent,  I  observed  a 
young'  man,  with  broad  shoulders,  long  visage,  and  head 
of  uncommon  mould,  poring  over  a  law  book.  It  was 
unnecessary  to  inquire  whether  he  was  a  student.  We 
soon  entered  into  conversation,  and  then  proceeded  to 
argument.  Finding  myself  somewhat  worsted,  I  became 
vehement,  and  vociferated  until  people  were  drawn  to  the 
window.  This  was  the  beginning  of  a  friendship  which 
has  lasted,  with  no  interruption,  for  thirty  years.*  I 
have  been  tossed  about  all  over  the  world,  and  have 
encountered  every  vicissitude  of  fortune,  while  he  has 
steadily  pursued  his  course,  and  has  risen  to  the  head  of 
his  profession.  Yet  his  commencement  was  attended 
with  unusual  and  most  discouraging  circumstances.  This 
success  shows  what  a  bold  adventurous  spirit  may  accom- 
plish, and  how  genius  can  overcome  difficulties  which 
appear  invincible  to  the  common  mind.  He  set  out  from 
the  State  of  Ohio  for  Pittsburg-,  for  the  purpose  of  study- 
ing law,  without  funds,  and  without  the  least  acquaint- 
ance or  introduction.  He  had  just  money  enough  to 
carry  him  across  the  river,  and  take  up  his  lodgings  at 
the  ferry  tavern,  which  he  was  not  able  to  quit  without 
making  a  discovery  of  the  state  of  his  purse.  Hearing  of 
Mr.  Baldwin,  he  went  to  his  office  ;  found  that  gentleman 
just  about  to  mount  his  horse  to  go  on  the  circuit ;  made 
known  his  intentions ;  and,  without  further  ceremony, 
the  key  was  given  to  him,  and  he  was  told  to  remain  in 
possession  of  the  office,  take  a  volume  of  Blackstone,  and 
go  to  work.  Here  I  found  him.  Although  urged  on  by 
a  powerful  ambition,  he  felt  keenly  the  straitened  circum- 
stances in  which  he  was  placed.  We  took  a  walk  on 
Saturday  afternoon,  and  descended  into  one  of  the  deep 

*  Walter  Forward,  Esq. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  83 

romantic  glens  east  of  Grant's  Hill.'*'  We  took  a  shower- 
bath  under  my  favorite  cascade,  after  which  my  com- 
panion washed  the  garment  unknown  to  the  luxury  of 
the  Greeks  and  Romans,  and  laid  it  in  a  sunny  spot  to 
dry;  while  seated  on  a  rock,f  we  "reasoned  high  of  fate, 
foreknowledge."  He  had  the  good  fortune,  soon  after,  to 
obtain  the  editorship  of  the  ''Tree  of  Liberty,"  which 
enabled  him  to  complete  his  studies  with  comparative 
ease  and  independence. 


CHAPTER    X. 

The  Author  continues  his  Study  of  the  Law — Deistical  Fallacies 
— Spends  some  time  at  Jeflerson  College — Death  of  Mr.  Bates 
in  a  Duel. 

There  is  no  life  which  furnishes  so  few  incidents,  or  is 
so  little  diversified,  as  that  of  the  mere  student.  He  has 
his  regular  hours  for  study,  and  must  not  encroach  upon 
them  by  directing  his  attention  to  other  pursuits.  For 
three  years  after  my  return  to  Pittsburg  I  led  this  kind 
of  life.  The  whole  of  my  time  was  not,  however,  de- 
voted to  the  reading  of  law  books ;  I  read  also  historical 
works,  such  as  Robertson's  Charles  the  Fifth,  Gibbon's 
Decline  and  Fall,  Marshall's  Life  of  Washington,  the 
Federalist,  and  others,  to  fill  up  my  reading  hours,  when 

*  Mr.  F.  has  asserted  that  he  was  the  possessor  of  two  shirts. 
I  was  not  aware  of  this,  or  would  have  made  the  correction. 

f  At  Minersville — the  spot  is  now  the  residence  of  my  brother, 
Alexander  Brackenridgc. 


84  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

the  attention  began  to  grow  weary  of  the  law.  At  that 
da}"  the  attention  of  the  student  was  chiefly  directed  to 
the  law  of  tenures  and  the  old  books  of  reports  ;  a  course 
which  I  need  not  detail,  as  it  would  be  unnecessary  to 
the  professional  man,  and  uninteresting  to  the  unprofes- 
sional reader.  The  course  of  study,  1  will  remark,  em- 
braced the  more  al)struse  branches  of  the  profession,  such 
as  are  almost  obsolete  at  the  present  day,  and  perhaps 
required  a  more  intense  strain  upon  the  reasoning  powers. 
They  may  be  called  the  arcana  of  the  law — far  too  deep 
for  the  reach  of  common  sense — distinctions  so  refined 
and  subtle  as  to  require  to  be  seen  through  the  micro- 
scope of  mental  vision.  It  is  the  business  of  the  lawyer 
to  discern  distinctions — the  common  mind  can  perceive 
resemblances,  for  all  objects  in  nature  have  some  points 
of  similarity;  but  to  mark  an  essential  characteristic  dif- 
ference, where  the  resemblance  almost  approaches  iden- 
tity, requires  all  the  acuteness  of  perception.  Perhaps 
this  observation  may  be  made  of  all  sciences  which  pro- 
ceed by  subdivisions  of  classes,  genera,  species  and  anom- 
alies. I  have  often  seen  a  3"oung  lawyer  adduce  a  case 
from  a  book  of  reports,  point  blank  in  support  of  his  posi- 
tion, where  one  more  experienced  has  immediatel}' pointed 
out  some  small,  almost  imperceptible  difference,  which 
changed  the  whole  face  of  things,  and  turned  the  battery 
against  him  who  erected  it!  It  is  wonderful  what  a  sys- 
tem has  been  woven  by  the  sages  of  the  law  in  relation 
to  the  tenure  of  real  estate  in  England;  it  reminds  me  of 
the  march  of  the  army  in  Lucian's  true  story,  on  a  high- 
way of  cobwebs,  drawn  from  the  earth  to  the  moon!  I 
have  bothered  my  brain  over  Coke  on  Littleton,  and 
Coke's  Reports,  reading  the  page  again  and  again,  to 
catch  the  meaning,  or  to  retake  it  in  ivitliernam,  after  it 
had  committed  an  escape  from  the  prison  of  the  memory, 


RECOLLECTIONFi   OF   Tin-:    WEST.  85 

where  I  thonirht  it  lind  been  safely  lodfred.  Aiul  often 
have  I  been  compelled  to  follow  the  advice  of  Coke,  that 
is,  to  pass  it  over,  in  order  that  at  some  other  time,  in 
some  other  place,  perad venture  it  niiiiht  be  made  i)laiii. 
I  have  found  the  advice  to  be  good.  As  a  general  ob- 
servation, it  is  correct,  that  a  legal  enigma,  which  no 
ett'ort  will  enable  us  to  solve  at  one  time,  by  dropping 
it  for  a  few  days,  will  be  found  perfectly  easy  on  a  second 
trial. 

I  have  not  mentioned  that  in  the  course  of  my  miscel- 
laneous reading,  previous  to  entering  on  the  study  of  the 
law,  and  I  mention  it  with  regret,  for  the  purpose  of  giv- 
ing a  caution  to  others,  I  perused  the  writings  of  Voltaire, 
D'Alembert,  Helvetius,  Mirabeau,*  Hume,  Yolney,  and 
Tom  Paine.  The  impressions  they  left  were  far  from 
being  beneficial  or  happy,  but  the  reverse.  I  have  en- 
deavored to  make  some  atonement  by  never  reading 
works  of  that  description,  and  earnestly  dissuading  my 
young  friends  from  looking  into  them.  Hume,  and  writers 
of  that  class,  have  entirely  failed  to  build  up  any  system, 
which,  upon  their  own  plan  of  referring  all  things  to 
human  reason,  can  bear  a  scrutiny.  If  they  have  pulled 
down  religion,  they  bave  put  up  nothing  in  its  place. 
They  have  merely  left  us  in  the  desert.  But  those  who 
wish  to  see  the  other  side,  and  then  give  an  impartial  de- 
cision, will  read  Grotius  on  the  Christian  Religion,  Cicero 
Ue  Nalurse  Deorum,  Paley's  Evidences,  Addison's,  and 
lastly  Locke  on  Christianity.  They  will  then  be  prepared 
to  take  up  the  more  liberal  and  enlightened  of  the  pro- 
fessed theologians.  I  have  reflected  with  some  satisfac- 
tion, on  having  once  furnished  an  argument  to  a  lady, 
who   had  been  half  converted  by   reading  "  Mirabeau's 


*  Religion  of  Nature. 
8* 


8  0  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

Rolig-ion  of  Nature."  "T  will  begin,  madam,"  said  I, 
"  by  showing  the  fallacy  of  his  own  theory,  by  means  of 
which  he  attempts  to  assail  other  religions.  His  proposi- 
tion, and  that  of  all  deistical  writers,  is  this,  that  all  the 
judgments  of  men  must  be  founded  upon  the  evidence  of 
their  senses,  and  of  their  experience.  That  which  con- 
tradicts these  is  incomprehensible  to  human  reason,  and 
consequently  no  man  can  truh^  believe  that  which  he  does 
not  understand.  If  this  proposition  be  true,  then  the 
theory  may  be  sustained,  but  if  not  true,  it  must  fall  to 
the  ground.  Xow  I  deny  at  once  the  proposition  that  we 
cannot  believe  that  which  we  do  not  understand ;  or,  in 
other  words,  I  deny  that  we  cannot  believe  a  thing  to 
exist,  whose  existence  we  cannot  comprehend.  Will  any 
one  deny  the  infinite  divisibihty  of  matter  ?  I  presume 
no  one  will  do  this.  Yet  it  is  incapable  of  absolute  prac- 
tical demonstration.  A  cubic  inch  of  matter  may  be  di- 
vided into  a  thousand  parts,  each  of  these  into  a  thousand 
more,  these  again  into  as  many.  Is  there  any  stopping- 
place  ?  Can  the  mind  at  last,  by  traveling  on,  reach  the 
end  of  these  divisions  and  subdivisions  ?  No,  the  distance 
increases  at  every  remove — the  work  is  infinite.  Yes, 
infinite  !  The  defect  is  in  our  own  mind,  which,  being 
finite,  cannot  comprehend  an  infinite  suljject.  We  believe, 
then,  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  infinity;  and  yet  this 
idea,  in  which  we  believe,  is  incomprehensible  to  our 
finite  reason.  Again,  what  is  the  world  in  which  we  ex- 
ist? It  is  a  part  of  a  system  of  worlds.  What  is  that 
system  of  worlds  ?  A  part  of  other  systems,  existing  in 
the  regions  of  infinite  space.  Here  then  we  establish  with 
mathematical  certainty  the  existence  of  one  of  the  chief 
attributes  of  the  Deity — here  is  an  idea  which  we  believe, 
and  yet  cannot  comprehend.  Is  it  difficult  to  pass  from 
this  to  an  acknowledgment  of  another  of  the  attributes 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  gt 

of  the  Creator,  whieli  is  equally  certain — his  eternity — 
something-  that  has  had  no  beginning-,  and  can  have  no 
end  ?  Can  our  minds  comprehend  such  an  idea  ?  No, 
and  yet  we  believe  that  there  is  an  eternity!  Two  of  the 
attributes  of  the  Deity  are  thus  acknowledged,  and  beyond 
our  comprehension  !  What  then  becomes  of  the  position 
of  the  philosophers,  who  hold  that  we  can  believe  nothing 
which  we  cannot  comprehend  ?  The  formidable  battery 
is  thus  crumbled  into  dust.  Let  this  advantage  be  fol- 
lowed up,  and  will  it  not  end  in  the  firm  establishment  of 
the  Christian  faith  over  all  others  as  most  consonant  to 
truth,  as  most  beautiful  in  itself,  and  as  best  calculated  to 
advance  the  happiness  of  mankind  ?  I  speak  of  Chris- 
tianity in  its  purity;  such  as  it  was  taught  by  its  Author, 
who  must  be  admitted,  by  those  who  deny  his  divine 
nature,  to  have  been  wiser  than  Socrates  or  Plato,  and  in 
purity,  unlike  any  other  who  ever  wore  the  human  form, 
for  he  was  spotless." 

While  at  Mrs.  Earl's  I  enjoyed  the  society  of  a  num- 
ber of  gentlemen,  my  fellow-boarders,  whose  characters 
and  education  were  such  as  to  form  an  excellent  school. 
Excepting  occasionally  an  officer  of  the  army,  or  a  dis- 
tinguished stranger  passing  through  Pittsburg,  they 
were  professional  men.  The  reader  may  judge  of  their 
standing  by  the  following  fact :  out  of  about  fifteen  who 
formed  the  mess  during  the  greater  part  of  the  three 
years,  two  of  them  have  been  members  of  Congress  and 
judges,  one  of  whom  is  now  in  the  United  States  Senate, 
and  the  other  on  the  supreme  bench  of  the  Union  ;  two 
others  have  been  judges,  one  a  member  of  Congress,  and 
nearly  all  the  others  distinguished  in  some  public  employ- 
ment. The  conversation  at  dinner  was  almost  always 
interesting,  turning  on  general  politics,  history,  military 
events  of  Europe,  or  public  characters;   while  the  most 


88  BRA  CKENRID  GE '  S 

rigid  observance  of  good  breeding  prevailed,  and  the  most 
gentlemanly  tolerance  of  opposing  opinions.  It  was  not 
a  hasty  meal  snatched  at  a  table  dliofe,  but  the  "feast  of 
reason  and  the  flow  of  soul."  If  the  TroUopes,  or  Fear- 
ons,  or  Ashes,  who  pretend  to  give  an  account  of  Ameri- 
can society,  into  which  they  were  never  admitted,  were 
to  be  introduced  to  a  table  like  that  of  Mrs.  Earl,  they 
would  very  soon  have  been  compelled  to  feel  their  in- 
feriority in  point  of  information  at  least.  Foreign  travel- 
ers have  rarely  had  much  intercourse  with  the  best  edu- 
cated and  best  bred  Americans.  I  was  at  an  evening  party 
once,  where  Captain  Hall  was  the  lion  of  the  occasion, 
and  where  I  saw  some  of  the  best  educated  men  of  Phila- 
delphia. But  there  were  also  others  calculated  to  impose 
on  a  stranger  by  their  forwardness;  they  were  that  kind 
of  vacant  minds,  who  so  frequently  asked  Captain  Hall 
how  he  liked  this,  and  how  he  was  pleased  with  that,  and 
which  led  him  to  suppose  they  were  fishing  for  compli- 
ments instead  of  using  unmeaning  commonplace.  Folly 
and  impertinence  are  always  obtrusive,  while  real  merit 
is  chary  of  its  familiarity.  I  presume,  the  best  society  in 
England  is,  exclusively,  neither  among  the  nobility  and 
fashion,  nor  among  the  mere  people  of  business.  The  in- 
dividuals who  compose  it  are  not  to  be  sought  for  in  any 
particular  occupation  or  station  or  class. 

During  the  second  winter  of  my  apprenticeship  in  the 
law  a  Thespian  corps  was  set  on  foot,  and  our  house 
furnished  the  principal  dramatis  j^^^^sonae.  The  large 
room  in  the  court-house  was  fitted  up  as  a  theater.  It 
cost  several  hundred  dollars  for  music  from  Philadelphia; 
it  was,  in  fact,  an  affair  vastly  superior  to  the  common 
burlesque  attempts  at  enacting  plays.  We  had  among 
us  an  actor  in  genteel  comedy  equal  to  Wood,  a  Mon- 
sieur Bagentail  equal  to  Blis^set,  and  a  Falstuff  that  rivaled 


RECOLLECTWyS   OF   Tiff:    WEST.  89 

all  but  Warren.*  I  had  the  honor  of  deliverin.u"  a  letter  to 
Captain  Glenroy,  and  of  appearing  as  a  Scotchman  in  Dick 
the  Apprentice.  My  father,  who  had  the  greatest  con- 
tempt for  village  play-acting,  and  no  great  respect  for 
actors  on  any  stage  (although  he  possessed  the  talents  to 
be  one  of  the  greatest  both  in  trasfedv  and  comedy),  was 
displeased  with  hearing  of  my  performance,  no  doubt 
exaggerated  by  some  who  thought  they  were  giving  him 
some  agreeable  news.  In  consequence  of  this  I  received 
a  very  strict  injunction  to  attend  to  my  law  books,  "as 
the  law  ii<  a  jealout^  mit<(ress,  and  icill  not  abide  a  rival" 
Shortly  after,  he  gave  me  orders  to  repair  to  Jetferson 
College,  and  to  remain  there  six  mouths,  in  order  to  place 
myself  under  the  instructions  of  a  celebrated  mathema- 
tician and  philosopher  (that  is,  natural  philosopher),  Mr. 
Miller;  and,  at  the  same  time,  to  join  the  other  college 
exercises. 

The  six  months  passed  at  Jefferson  College  were  chiefly 
devoted  to  Euclid,  Nicholson's  Natural  Philosophy,  Geog- 
raphy, etc.  Mr.  Miller  was  a  most  extraordinary  man, 
entirely  self-taught,  but  possessing  a  perspicuity  in  ex- 
plaining himself  which  I  have  rarely  seen  equaled.  He 
never  took  a  book  in  his  hand  while  we  were  demonstra- 
ting on  the  board,  or  when  examining  us  in  the  most  ab- 
struse branches.  I  never  saw  any  one  who  had  a  science 
so  completely  at  his  finger  ends  ;  and  there  was  a  benevo- 
lent cheerfulness  which  rendered  his  instruction  extremely 
-pleasing.  I  had  three  roommates :  two  of  them  were 
agreeable  young  men, — Mr.  Graham,  who  fell  in  a  duel 
some  years  afterward,  and  Mr.  Coulter,  now  a  distin- 
guished member  of  Congress.     The  third  was  a  young 

*  William  Wilkins,  Morgan  Neville,  George  Wallace,  Thomas 
Butler. 


9  0  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

man  from  Xcw  England,  a  bore  of  the  first  order,  and  the 
most  annoying  asker  of  silly  questions  I  ever  met  with, 
except  another,  who  once  asked  me  the  following:  1st, 
"Where  have  you  been?"  "At  the  auction."  "Were 
those  things  sold?"  "Yes."  "Who  bought  them?" 
"Ask  the  auctioneer."  Xothing  is  so  disgusting  to  me 
as  a  question  which  betraj^s  no  endeavor  on  the  part  of  the 
questioner  to  inform  himself;  or  which  can  elicit  no  use- 
ful or  pleasing  information ;  or  which  presupposes  great 
ignorance  on  the  part  of  the  interrogator.  A  foolish  ques- 
tion always  irritated  me ;  while  an  intelligent  one  afforded 
me  an  opportunity  of  being  civil,  at  least,  if  I  could  not 
give  satisfaction.  It  was  our  custom  to  rise  an  hour  or 
two  before  day :  the  students  of  this  college  were  not 
young  men  of  fortune,  who  came  to  obtain  some  gentle- 
manly accomplishments — they  came  to  get  the  worth  of 
their  money  in  useful  knowledge.  I  attended  the  debating 
society,  and  wrote  my  essays.  The  society  to  which  I 
belonged  chose  me  to  contend  for  the  palm  of  superior 
composition  with  one  chosen  by  the  rival  society.  The 
decision  was  given  in  my  favor  unanimous!}".  During 
my  stay  at  the  college  an  incident  occurred  which  affected 
me  deeply — the  death  of  my  friend  Mr.  Bates  in  a  duel. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  perfect  gentlemen  I  ever  knew, 
and  a  philanthropist  whose  heart  was  the  ready  and  sure 
refuge  of  the  unfortunate.  There  were  few  handsomer 
men ;  and  when  brought  from  the  field  into  the  dining- 
room  where  we  had  passed  so  many  delightful  social 
hours,  and  laid  upon  the  carpet,  he  seemed  to  be  asleep, 
his  countenance  having  undergone  no  change,  as  the  ball 
had  passed  through  his  heart,  and  his  death  was  instant- 
aneous. Many  a  tear  of  genuine  feeling  was  shed  by  those 
who  came  to  take  a  last  look  at  the  once  -elegant  Tarleton 
Bates ! 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  91 


CllAPTKll    XL 

Returns  to  Pittsburg — Joins  a  Law  Society,  and  gives  an  Ac- 
count of  his  Process  of  Prejiaration  for  a  Speech — Admission 
to  the  Bar  and  Debut— Character  of  the  Pittsburg  Bar- 
Aaron  Burr. 

On  my  return  to  Pittsburg  my  studies  were  resumed 
with  greater  assiduity  than  ever.  During  the  last  year 
the  examination  was  constantly  before  me,  and  occasioned 
anxiety  and  apprehension.  This  was  no  idle  form  ;  «>n 
the  contrary,  it  was  exceedingly  strict,  conducted  in  the 
presence  of  the  judges,  and  by  a  committee  of  al)le  law- 
yers. There  were  three  others  beside  myself  candidates 
for  admission:  Mr.  Forward  and  Mr.  M'Donald ;  the 
other  I  will  not  name,  as  he  was  unfortunately  rejected. 
The  two  former  and  myself  met  almost  daily,  to  puzzle 
each  other  with  questions,  so  that  we  might  be  the  better 
prepared  for  the  all-important  trial. 

Shortly  after  my  return  a  law  society  was  formed,  com- 
posed of  the  younger  members  of  the  bar  and  the  stu- 
dents, consisting  in  all  of  ten  or  twelve.  Mr.  William 
Wllkins  was  chosen  president.  Mr.  Forward,  Charles 
Wilkins,  ^nd  myself,  framed  the  constitution.  It  was 
organized  on  Saturday,  and  a  question  was  fixed  upon 
for  discussion  on  the  Saturday  following :  all  the  mem- 
bers were  arranged  on  the  one  side  or  the  other,  to  speak 
seriatim.  The  point  to  be  mooted  was  one  of  those  in 
which  such  prodigies  of  the  law  as  Mansfield  and  Cam- 
den may  be  fairly  allowed  to  differ,  and  where  the  law  is 
settled,  or   rather  made,   by  the  most  })lausible  and  in- 


92  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

genious  reasoner.  It  was  either  the  question  which  arose 
in  the  case  of  Windham  vs.  Chetwyntle,  or  that  of  Jordan 
and  Lashbrooks.  The  subject  of  the  admissibility,  or 
credibility  of  the  witness,  was  involved.  At  the  debat- 
ing society  of  Jefferson  College  I  had  felt  my  deficiency 
in  sustaining  a  regular  connected  argument.  A  few 
rapid  thoughts,  a  brilliant  flight,  or  a  stroke  of  wit,  were 
about  the  extent  of  m}^  oratory ;  and  I  even  admired 
those  dull,  methodical  speakers,  who  could  divide  their 
speeches  into  as  many  heads  and  horns  as  belong  to  the 
beast  in  the  Revelation,  and  descant  upon  them  without 
end.  1  felt  the  want,  however,  of  method  and  arrange- 
ment, and  was  determined,  on  my  first  appearance  in  the 
society,  to  make  an  effort  to  exhibit  something  more 
solid  and  better  sustained  than  my  associates  would  ex- 
pect. 

My  first  step- was  to  make  myself  perfect  master  of  the 
case  which  gave  rise  to  the  question,  and  to  study  the 
cases  to  which  it  referred ;  following,  like  an  antiquarian, 
or  rather  explorer,  every  little  streamlet  to  its  source. 
After  this,  I  ran  over  all  the  topics  connected  with  the 
question  collaterally,  which  might  serve  for  explanation 
or  illustration.  Besides  this  exercise,  which  was  chiefly 
performed  at  night,  in  the  morning  I  repaired  every  day 
to  my  ijrivate  study,  the  oak  grove  which  crowns  the 
summit  of  Watson's  Hill,  at  that  time  a  most  unfre- 
quented place,  where  I  could  walk  about  and  declaim 
without  fear  of  interruption.  At  first  my  ideas  went 
away  as  fast  as  they  came,  and  after  a  da}^  passed  in 
this  sort  of  drumming,  I  had  only  a  few  shabby  recruits 
enlisted  and  enrolled  for  the  war.  It  was  a  discouraging 
operation ;  but  I  was  not  discouraged  ;  the  same  perse- 
verance which  enabled  me  to  triumph  over  the  difficulties 
of  the  slack-rope,  sustained  me  on  this  occasion.     I  again 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  93 

read  over  everything,  and  then  went  to  work  to  make  a 
digest  in  writing  of  all  the  cases.  After  this,  my  l^ooks 
were  again  closed,  my  notes  put  away,  and  1  repaired  to 
the  hill  to  hammer  out  my  speech,  which  I  was  deter- 
mined to  frame  word  by  word,  sentence  by  sentence, 
without  putting  pen  to  paper.  My  success  the  second 
and  third  day  was  more  encouraging.  I  scarcely  slept 
or  ate  during  the  week.  By  degrees  I  found  myself  the 
owner  of  a  number  of  ideas,  which  I  could  call  up 
at  pleasure,  with  a  variety  of  expressions,  like  shifting 
notes  in  music,  which  I  had  tried  by  the  ear  and  com- 
pared, so  as  to  fix  upon  the  most  appropriate.  The 
method,  an*angement,  or  division  of  my  subject  cost  me 
some  trouble.  I  had  read  Watt's  Logic  with  little  bene- 
fit. Quintilian,  Blair,  Kaimes,  Cicero's  Brutus,  improved 
the  judgment  and  taste.  Euclid's  mode  of  reasoning  was 
too  dry  and  exact  for  moral  topics  ;  amplifications,  figures, 
and  even  repetitions  2iiid  pleonasms  are  necessary  in  what 
is  addressed  to  the  ear.  Euclid,  however,  w'as  my  model, 
as  my  object  was  to  convince  the  understanding  by  rea- 
soning. The  orations  of  Demosthenes  I  considered  the 
model  of  deliberative  or  popular  eloquence,  and  had  read 
them  again  and  again,  admiring  the  noble  simplicity  and 
symmetry  of  their  structure,  in  this  resembling  the  other 
monuments  of  Grecian  art.  Thus,  instead  of  a  number 
of  short  speeches  strung  together,  I  was  enabled  to  unite 
them  as  the  different  parts,  in  the  demonstration  of  a 
proposition.  When  my  entire  speech  was  thus  collected 
together,  I  found  it  necessary,  for  the  sake  of  symmetry 
and  proportion,  to  curtail  some  parts,  and  enlarge  others, 
so  that  the  porch  might  not  be  too  large  for  the  front,  nor 
the  length  of  the  edifice  too  great  for  its  height.  It  was 
repeated  again  and  again  ;  every  word  and  sentence  tried 

0 


94  BRACKEN  RIDGE'S 

by  the  ear,  occupying  about  an  hour  in  the  delivery.  I 
had  no  jumping-off  or  jumping-up  place,  like  those  who 
prepare  their  exordium  and  perorations,,  and  leave  the 
body  of  the  speech  to  take  care  of  itself. 

My  task  was  accomplished  on  Saturday  forenoon,  and 
the  society  met  after  dinner.  When  my  turn  came  to 
speak,  I  had  only  to  open  my  mouth,  and  my  words 
seemed  to  run  out  of  themselves  like  the  water  from  a 
Dutch  pump,  for  I  knew  nothing  of  gesture,  or  the 
management  of  the  voice.  I  could  see  that  my  speech, 
such  as  it  Avas,  exceeded  the  expectations  of  my  asso- 
ciates, and  perhaps  they  formed  a  higher  opinion  of  my 
mind  than  they  would  have  formed  if  they  had  known 
how  much  the  effort  had  cost  me.  I  Avas  obliged  to  con- 
tinue the  practice  in  order  to  sustain  my  reputation  ;  but 
afterward  it  was  not  attended  with  difficulty.  The  prac- 
tice of  solitary  declamation  was  pursued  by  me  for  many 
years.  The  greater  part  of  the  speeches  I  have  delivered, 
on  subjects  I  deemed  important,  were  perfectly  prepared 
without  writing  a  single  word.  The  speech  on  the  Jew 
bill,  while  I  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  of  Mary- 
land, and  that  on  the  chancery  powers,  were  composed 
in  this  way. 

I  will  remark,  that  in  the  process  of  forming  my  speech 
I  was  induced  to  form  the  habit  of  tracing  my  subject  to 
its  origin,  in  what  may  be  called  a  philosophic  manner, 
and  was  continuallj^  in  search  of  the  reason  :  and  when 
the  last  was  found,  I  did  not  stop  there,  but  entered  upon 
an  examination  of  its  soundness.  For  instance ;  when 
master  of  the  distinction  between  the  admissihilitj  and 
credibility  of  witnesses,  I  inquired  the  reason  of  the  dis- 
tinction, and  the  reason  given  appeared  to  me  proper  for 
the  law-maker  rather  than  the  laiv-expoundei' — that  is  to 
say,  the  temptation  to  commit  perjury  !     And  is  not  the 


RECOLLECTIOKS   OF  THE    WEST.  05 

same  reason  as  strong  in  equity,  wiicre  plaintifif  and 
defendant  file  their  bills  and  answers  on  oath  ?  And  is  it 
not  so  as  respects  witnesses,  who  are  under  the  influence 
of  circumstances  which  aifect  their  credibility?  I  do  not 
see  any  sufficient  reason  in  the  distinction.  Let  the  re- 
sponsibility of  the  perjury  rest  on  the  party  or  witness 
whose  conscience  is  not  proof  against  the  temptation  ;  or 
let  the  oath  be  dispensed  with,  and  let  the  parties  tell 
their  stories  under  the  same  obligation  as  the  witness, 
and  I  am  confident  it  will  promote  the  ends  of  justice. 
The  idea  that  the  guilt  falls  upon  the  judge,  who  permits 
the  party  to  testify,  is  ridiculed  by  Butler : 

"  'Tis  he  that  makes  the  oath  that  breaks  it, 
Xot  he  that  for  convenience  takes  it." 

'  I  hope  to  see  the  day  when  the  distinction  will  be 
abolished,  and  the  whole  question  resolv^e  itself  into  that 
of  credibility  and  probability,  to  be  determined  by  the 
court  or  jury.  It  is  wonderful  how  many  cases  are  to  be 
found  in  the  books  which  turn  upon  these  questions,  and 
how^  much  time  is  consumed  in  the  trial  of  causes,  in  set- 
tling the  admissibility  of  witnesses,  on  the  ground  of  their 
supposed  interest.  The  modern  rule  is,  however,  an 
improvement  of  that  in  the  time  of  Lord  Coke,  when  the 
father,  son,  brother,  and  even  uncle  and  nephew  could 
not  testify  for  each  other.  And  here  I  will  remark,  that 
a  large  portion  of  juridical  philosophy  is  not  more  re- 
spectable. Lord  Brougham  thought  he  was  doing  won- 
ders in  proposing  improvements  which  we  adopted  a 
hundred  years  ago,  and  there  are  many  that  we  may  yet 
adopt. 

The  reader  may  desire  that  this  dull  nan-ativje  be  dashed 
a  little  with  romance  ;  at  least,  he  may  be  curious  to  know 


96  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

whether,  during  the  susceptible  period  of  my  life,  the  soft 
image  of  some  dulcinea  did  not  sometimes* 

"  Steal  between  my  book  and  me," 

and  I  have  avoided  it  hitherto,  in  order  to  give  a  proof  of 
my  discretion,  by  informing  him  that  I  mean  to  be  silent 
on  the  subject.  I  leave  it  to  his  own  imagination,  whether 
one  who  had  a  heart  in  the  right  place  and  possessed  the 
most  ardent  feelings,  with  a  disposition  to  admire  Avhat- 
ever  is  admirable,  could  be  insensible  ?  Although  natu- 
rally excessively  diffident  in  the  company  of  the  fair,  and 
an  admirer  in  secret,  those  delightful  visions  too  often 
took  possession  of  my  mind.  Once  for  all,  I  will  make 
this  precious  confession  of  my  feelings  on  this  interesting 
subject :  if,  in  traveling,  I  had  arrived  at  cross-roads,  and 
the  right  hand  led  to  the  place,  half  a  mile  off,  where 
Napoleon  Bonaparte  was  to  be  seen,  and  the  left  hand, 
at  the  distance  of  ten  miles,  had  an  assemblage  of  young 
ladies,  Avhere  the  Cynthia  of  the  time,  I  will  not  say  of 
the  moment,  happened  to  be,  I  should  have  gone  to  the 
left.  In  the  situation  of  Paris,  I  should  certainly  have 
given  the  apple  to  Yenus,  and  let  the  other  goddesses  do 
their  worst. 

I  have  not  mentioned  that  I  made  some  progress  in  the 
German  language,  under  the  instruction  of  Mr.  She  we,  a 
Prussian,  and  one  of  the  greatest  oddities  I  have  met 
with.  He  lodged  in  the  same  house,  and  taught  French 
at  the  academy.  He  had  been  a  traveler  all  his  life, 
having  begun  by  making  the  tour  of  Europe,  as  tutor  to  the 
young  Count  Feltenstein  ;  and  was  in  Paris  during  the  first 
scenes  of  the  revolution.  He  used  to  show  a  mark  on  his 
leg,  occasioned  by  a  shot  at  the   taking  of  the  Bastile. 


*  Sweet  Nea, 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF   THE    WEST.  97 

He  related  many  anecdotes  of  the  great  Frederick,  and  of 
his  generals,  which  he  had  picked  up  at  I^erlin.  I  after- 
ward improved  myself  in  the  German,  which  I  found 
useful  in  order  to  a  proper  understanding  of  the  English. 
The  acquaintance  with  the  Saxon  gave  Home  Tooke,  in 
his  ''Diversions  of  Purley,"  a  decided  advantage  over 
the  great  Johnson,  who  had  no  knowledge  of  the  lan- 
guage. Mr.  Shewe  officiated  at  the  Dutch  church  as  a 
preacher ;  whether  he  was  ever  ordained  I  know  not, 
but  he  certainly  was  not  remarkable  for  his  piety,  although 
as  good-hearted  a  creature  as  Strap  in  Roderick  Random. 
I  knew  him  afterward  as  a  mineralogist,  as  a  miniature 
painter,  and  as  a  keeper  of  a  huckster's  shop.  The  last 
was  the  occupation  he  loved  best,  for  he  had  always  be- 
fore him  the  two  objects  upon  which  his  affections  w^ere 
finally  concentrated,  tobacco  and  beer.  He  used  to  ex- 
press philosophically,  the  same  sentiment  which  I  have 
heard  from  Achilles  Murat  in  jest,  that  whisky  was  the 
BEST  PART  of  the  American  government. 

The  time  at  length  arrived  for  my  admission  to  the  bar.. 
The  examination  was  considered  creditable  to  us,  and  the 
next  day  the  oath  was  administered  in  open  court.  2sow 
thought  I  to  myself,  I  am  at  length  on  the  great  stage  of 
action,  and  must  soon  perform  wonders.  Sad  mistake! 
I  soon  found  that  I  had  hardly  touched  the  threshold,  and 
that  what  I  had  learned  was,  in  comparison",  nothing  to 
what  I  had  yet  to  learn,  before  I  could  realize  even  the 
least  of  those  expectations  suggested  by  youthful  vanity 
and  impatience.  I  made  my  debut  in  the  evening,  with- 
out any  previous  preparation,  in  a  case  of  libel.  Being 
exceedingly  diffident,  I  thought  the  sooner  the  ice  was 
broken  the  better;  for  I  have  known  some  young  men 
put  off  this  crisis,  so  overpowering  to  a  sensitive  mind, 
until  they  could  never  muster  courage  enough  to  meet  it. 

9* 


98  BRACKENRIDGWS 

The  candles  were  lighted,  and  unexpected!}^  to  any  one, 
I  rose  amid  the  bustle  and  confusion  which  followed  the 
opening  speech  of  the  opposite  lawyer,  who  happened  to 
be  my  preceptor,  Mr.  Mountain.  I  was  seen  by  the 
judges,  although  I  could  not  see  them ;  some  goddess, 
perhaps,  had  wrapt  them  in  a  cloud,  like  ^neas  and  his 
companion  in  the  palace  of  Dido.  I  fixed  my  eye  on  a 
black  patch  of  one  of  the  juiymen,  and  was  beginning  to 
get  on  when  a  sudden  silence  in  the  hall  almost  overpow- 
ered me.  But  happening  to  see  the  opposite  party  enjoy- 
ing a  malicious  pleasure  at  my  embarrassment,  I  broke 
forth,  at  once,  into  a  tremendous  philippic  against  him 
and  his  counsel.  It  was  admitted  that  I  had  acquitted 
myself  with  success;  and  my  master,  so  far  from  being 
displeased  with  the  liberty  I  had  taken  with  him,  called 
upon  me  next  morning,  shook  me  by  the  hand,  and  invited 
me  to  take  part  in  some  of  his  cases.  To  keep  the  ice 
open,  I  took  a  half-dozen  cold  plunges  during  the  week, 
and  was  never  after  alarmed  by  the  sound  of  my  own  voice, 
although  always  nervous  when  1  began. 

I  have  been  compelled,  by  a  sense  of  propriety,  to  avoid 
everything  in  relation  to  my  contemporaries  which  might 
tend  to  wound  their  feelings;  and  in  doing  this  have,  of 
course,  passed  over  some  of  the  most  interesting  scenes 
of  which  I  have  been  a  witness.  The  public  characters 
of  public  men  are,  in  some  measure,  exceptions;  they  are 
public  property,  and  a  fair  and  candid  examination  of 
their  merits  and  defects  ought  not  to  give  ofl'ense.  I 
shall,  therefore,  venture  to  speak  of  the  leading  members 
of  my  profession  who,  at  the  time  to  which  this  narrative 
refers,  figured  in  my  native  town,  and  I  feel  some  pride 
in  the  opportunity  of  speaking  of  my  masters  in  the  pro- 
fession to  which  1  had  dedicated  my  life. 

Mr.  Jam(!s  Ross  was  decidedly  at  the  head  of  the  bar. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF   THE    WEST.  99 

His  reputation  was  not  confined  to  the  town  of  Pittsburjj;- 
or  State  of  Pennsylvania;  ho  had  occupied  tlie  point  of 
disphiy  on  the  hirg-est  theater  America  affords,  the  Si-natc 
of  the  United  States,  and  he  ranked  there  as  the  equal  at 
least  of  Bayard,  Guverneur  Morris,  Giles,  and  Breckenridge 
of  Kentucky,     He  had  a  large  and  noble  frame,  and  a 
head  of  Homcrian  cast,  indicating  his  capacious  mind. 
His  voice  was  clear  and  full,  while  his  thoughts  and  dic- 
tion flowed  in  a  majestic  stream.     He  was  remarkable 
fcT  the  clear  and  perspicuous  manner  of  treating  his  sub- 
ject, and  he  possessed  a  perfect  command  over  his  hearersi 
by  the  self-possession  which  he  always  displayed.    Some- 
times he  would  thunder, — sometimes  indulge  a  vein  of 
pleasantry  ;  but  he  must  be  classed  among  those  prodigies 
of  mind,  who  like  Webster  and  the  orators  of  the  present 
day,  who  bend  the  will  of  men  by  appealing  to  their 
reason,  and  who  instruct  where  they  do  not  convince,  by 
the  depth  of  their  thoughts  and  the  extent  of  their  knowl- 
edge.    He  never  tripped,  or  appeared  at  a  loss  for  an  ex- 
pression ;  every  sentence  might  be  written  down  as  it  was 
spoken — the  result,  probably,  of  careful   preparation  at 
first,  which  became  a  second  nature.     I  have  heard  some 
of  the  best  speakers  in  America,  and  I  cannot  say  that  I 
have  heard  his  superior;  some  allowance  is,  however,  to 
be  made  for  the  impression  on  my  youthful  mind. 

Mr.  Woods,  who  stood  next  to  Mr.  Ross,  had  the  repu- 
tation of  a  skillful  lawyer.  His  person  was  fine,  and  his 
dress  and  manner  bespoke  the  gentleman,  although  there 
was  a  touch  of  aristocratic  pride  about  him  which  lessened 
his  popularity.  His  voice  was  rather  shrill  and  unpleasant, 
especially  when  contrasted  with  his  manly  appearance; 
but,  like  John  Randolph,  his  ear-})iercing  voice  often  gave 
effect  to  a  powerful  invective.  l\*w  lawyers  could  man- 
age a  case  with  more  skill.     He  was  deeply  versed  in  all 


100  BRA  CKEXR  IDGE'S 

the  subtleties  of  the  law  of  tenures  and  ejectment  causes. 
Being-  possessed  of  a  handsome  fortune,  he  rather  shunned 
than  courted  practice;  but  in  a  difficult  case  the  suitor 
thought  himself  fortunate  when  he  could  secure  his  assist- 
ance. 

But  the  great  favorite  of  the  younger  members  of  the 
bar  was  Steel  Semple,  who  ought  to  be  considered  at  the 
head  of  the  corps  of  regular  practice.  In  stature  he  was 
a  giant  of  "mighty  bone,"  and  possessed  a  mind  cast  in 
a  mould  like  that  of  the  illustrious  writer  from  whom  I 
have  borrowed  this  expression.  But  he  was  not  of  "bold 
emprise,"  for  he  was  personally  timid  and  sluggish.  As 
a  speaker  his  diction  was  elegant,  sparkling,  and  classical. 
His  wit  was  genuine.  He  was  at  the  same  time  a  prodigy 
of  memory,  a  gift  imparted  to  him  in  kindness  to  supply 
the  want  of  industry,  although  it  is  not  every  indolent 
man  who  is  thus  favored.  Mr.  Semple  was  conversant 
with  all  the  polite  and  fashionable  literature  of  the  day, 
and  was  more  of  a  modern  than  his  distinguished  com- 
petitors. It  is  no  less  strange  than  true,  that  for  the  few 
first  years  of  his  appearance  at  the  bar  his  success  was 
very  doubtful.  His  awkward  manner,  his  hesitation  and 
stammering,  and  indolent  habits,  occasioned  many  to 
think  that  he  had  mistaken  his  vocation.  My  father  was 
almost  the  only  person  who  saw  his  future  eminence.  Ho 
was  unfortunately  carried  off  when  he  had  just  risen  to 
distinction.  He  fell  a  victim  to  that  vice  which  unha})pily 
has  too  often  overtaken  the  most  distinguished  in  every 
profession.  He  died  when  a  little  turned  of  fort}'  His 
fame  had  not  traveled  far  from  the  theater  of  the  display 
of  his  powers,  which  is  usually  the  case  in  i)rofessions. 
which  nmst  be  seen  and  felt  to  l)e  justly  ai)preciat('d. 

Judge  Addison  possessed  a  more;  extended   reputation 
than  any  member  of  the  bar,  except  Mr.  Ross,  in  conse- 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  101 

queiico  of  his  writinprs,  and  his  having*  boen  on  the  bench. 
He  was  considered  an  able,  learned,  forcible  speaker, 
often  keenly  sarcastic,  but  his  broad  Scotch  dialect  was 
against  his  popularity  as  an  orator. 

Mr.  Mountain,  my  preceptor  at  the  academy  and  after- 
ward in  the  law,  may  be  mentioned  as  an  extraordinary 
instance  of  what  maybe  accomplished  invitd  naturse,  by 
great  application  and  perseverance.     Nature  had  left  him 
to  do  everything  for  himself.     His  person  and  physiog- 
nomy were  of  the  most  common  kind;   and  his  mind, 
although  exhibiting  nO  remarkable  defect,  did   not  rise 
above  the  common  level.     Perhaps  he  might  be  allowed 
judgment,  taste,  and  discrimination;  or  these  may  have 
been  the  result   of  cultivation,  and  his  familiarity  with 
the  best  models,  and  the  most  correct  precepts.     He  had 
dug  deep  in  the  mines  of  learning,  and  laid  up  a  rich 
store.     With  my  father  he  was  a  great  favorite,  partly 
on  account  of  his  classical  scholarship,  and  having  been 
like  himself  the  principal  of  an  academy,  which  he  used 
as  the  stepping-stone  to  his  profession.     At  the  bar  he 
was  pedantic,  displaying  his  stores  of  learning  at  unsuit- 
able times,  and  on  inappropriate  occasions.     He  was  no 
favorite  with  the  bar  or  bench,  for  the  reasons  just  men- 
tioned— but  after  being  a  few  years  in  practice  his  manner 
became  more  natural,  better  suited  to  the  occasion,  and 
he  was  rising  rapidly  in  public  esteem.     TJnhapi)ily,  like 
Steel  Seniple,  he  fell,  when  he  was  just  beginning  to  as- 
cend the  hill.    Had  he  lived  to  be  fifty,  he  would  have  at- 
tained a  celebrity  which  his  early  career  did  not  promise. 

Two  younger  members  of  the  bar  were  rapidly  rising 
and  taking  the  lead  in  the  practice  of  the  court.  These 
were  Mr.  IJaldwin  and  Mr.  Wiikins  ;  the  first  now  on  the 
Supreme  Bench  of  the  United  States,  the  other  in  the 
Senate.     The  first  appearance  of  both  these  gentlemen 


102  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

was  attended  with  brilliant  success,  although  they  were 
entirely  unlike  each  other.  Mr.  Baldwin  was  a  deeplv- 
read  lawyer,  and  an  excellent  scholar,  but  in  his  person 
and  manner  remarkably  plain  and  unstudied.  He  was  a 
warm,  rapid,  and  cogent  speaker,  at  the  same  time  close, 
logical,  and  subtle ;  he  invariably  exhausted  his  subject, 
but  studiously  avoided  all  ornament  or  unnecessary  ver- 
biage. He  entered  at  once  in  medias  res,  and  ended 
without  peroration  when  he  had  nothing  more  to  say. 
Mr.  Wilkins  was  more  than  genteel  in  his  person ;  his 
features  were  cast  in  the  Roman  mould,  and  his  dress  al- 
ways neat,  and  even  elegant.  His  manner  was  excellent 
— his  voice  and  enunciation  clear  and  distinct.  He  was 
diffuse  in  his  speeches,  and  wanted  method,  argument, 
and  depth  of  philosophical  acumen — but  he  knew  those 
whom  he  addressed,  as  the  musician  knows  the  instru- 
ment he  touches.  He  was  therefore  a  successful  and  a 
justly  popular  advocate. 

Such  were  the  principal  workmen  in  the  shop  where 
I  served  my  apprenticeship — and  no  bad  place  for  an  ap- 
prentice in  the  law  it  was.  I  have  not  mentioned  my 
father.  I  was  quite  young  when  I  heard  him,  and  must 
speak  principally  from  the  information  of  those  who 
knew  him.  He  was  considered  an  extraordinary  man — 
different  from  those  I  have  described.  Nature  had  done 
everything  for  him,  and  yet  he  had  labored  as  if  she  had 
done  nothing.  His  person,  voice,  and  manner — his  eye, 
would  have  rendered  him  a  star  of  the  first  order  on  the 
stage,  where  he  would  have  rivaled  Cook  or  Talma.  His 
glance — the  sound  of  his  voice,  would  sometimes  make 
the  blood  run  cold  in  the  veins.  His  mind  was  of  the 
highest  poetic  order,  but  of  the  most  astonishing  versa- 
tility, as  Bruce  in  his  fable  attempts  to  describe  it: 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST  103 

"  In  an  auld  bigging    dwalt  a  starling, 
Wlui  was  o'  ilka  bird  the  darling." 

He  could,  at  perfect  command,  excite  a  tragic  horror,  or 
occasional  peals  of  laughter,  but  he  seldom  attempted  the 
pathetic.  His  imagination  ascended  the  "  highest  heaven 
of  invention."  When  he  began  to  speak  he  frequently  ap- 
peared to  labor  under  great  embarrassment,  like  an  eagle 
rising  from  the  level  ground  ;  but  as  he  proceeded  he  rose 
by  degrees,  and  when  he  poured  himself  upon  his  career, 
he  seemed,  per  omnes  terrasque,  tractumaque  maris, 
coclumque  profundum,  to  range  through  heaven,  earth, 
and  sea.  Some  of  his  flights  were  as  wonderful  as  those 
of  Bridaine,  or  Bourdaloue,  or  Curran.  The  fame  of  his 
wonderful  powers  is  confined  to  the  few  who  witnessed 
them,  and  to  a  feeble  tradition.  It  was  his  misfortune  to 
display  his  talents  on  an  obscure  and  circumscribed  thea- 
ter, and  on  subjects  seldom  fitted  to  call  them  forth. 

Aljout  the  time  of  my  admission  the  supposed  treason 
of  Burr  w^as  set  on  foot,  and  some  of  my  companions, 
friends,  and  fellows-students  w^ere  drawn  into  it.  I  saw 
Burr  in  Pittsburg.*  His  projects  were  discussed  in  our 
little  senate,  and  at  the  dinner-table,  for  months,  before 
the  attemjit  was  made  to  carr}'  them  into  execution,  and 
were  as  well  known  to  us,  as  any  one  else,  except  Burr 
him.self  or  Wilkinson.  Whatever  subordinate  plan  Burr 
may 'have  had,  I  am  well  satisfied  that  the  main  object 
was  the  liljeration  of  Mexico,  and  the  splendid  fortunes 
which  would  be  acquired  by  success.  I  saw  many  of  his 
agents ;  all  were  engaged  in  obtaining  and  communica- 

*  I  met  him  on  the  street,  in  company  with  one  of  my  friends. 
I  knew  him  at  a  f;;hincc.  After  passing,  he  inquired  who  1  was. 
That  i.s  youn<;-  Jiraclcenridge,  said  hi.s  coniiiunion.  Ho  must  be 
one  of  us,  said  he. 


104  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

ting  information  respecting  the  Spanish  provinces.  The 
revolution  of  Mexico  was  the  idea  held  out  by  Burr.  It 
is  absurd  to  suppose  that  a  separation  of  Western  States 
entered  into  his  plan,  when  the  bare  suggestion  of  it 
would  have  excited  universal  indignation.  Before  the 
acquisition  of  Louisiana  it  might  have  found  partisans, 
but  at  this  time  it  w^as  impossible.  This  could  not,  there- 
fore, have  formed  any  part  of  his  plan — at  least,  of  his 
immediate  design  ;  what  he  might  have  placed  before  his 
view,  in  case  of  the  conquest  of  Mexico,  no  one  but  him- 
self can  tell.  Whether  he  had  an}^  design  on  New 
Orleans  and  its  banks,  for  the  means  of  carrying  on  the 
war,  I  do  not  know — but  if  he  had,  he  concealed  it,  and 
would  have  been  deserted  by  the  best  part  of  his  follow- 
ers if  attempted.  Burr  must  have  been  too  well  acquainted 
with  the  feelings  of  those  he  attempted  to  enlist  to  have 
entertained  such  intentions.  The  inducement  constantly 
held  out  was  the  liberation  of  Xew  Spain,  an  enterprise 
surpassing  in  brilliancy  the  conquest  by  Cortez.  It  was 
asserted  that  it  was  to  be  undertaken  with  the  knowledge 
and  tacit  approbation  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  that  the  army 
and  navy  of  the  United  States  would  be  ready,  in  case  of 
war  with  Spain,  to  render  assistance.  Circumstances 
rendered  this  highly  plausible  General  Wilkinson  was 
at  that  time  encamped  on  the  north  side  of  the  Sabine 
with  two  regiments  of  American  troops,  and  Cordero,  the 
Spanish  general,  on  the  other  side  with  an  equal  force, 
and  they  were  expected  to  come  to  blows.  The  situation 
of  Burr,  in  relation  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  seemed  to  favor  the 
idea  that  his  voluntary  expatriation  would  be  encouraged, 
and  the  official  station  of  the  former,  as  Vice-President  of 
the  United  States,  was  such  as  to  enable  him  to  impose 
upon  individuals  by  false  representations  if  he  chose  to 
make  them.     Whether  he  made  them  as  to  General  Wil- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  105 

kinson,  I  do  not  pretend  to  say  ;  but  he  certain!}'  did  hold 
out  the  idea  that  he  had  a  perfect  understanding  with 
that  ofl&cer,  and  that  his  arrival  on  the  Red  River  in  Octo- 
ber, with  a  few  thousand  men,  would  be  the  signal  for  the 
commencement  of  hostilities  with  the  Spaniards,  when 
Burr  would  join  Wilkinson,  and  then  raise  the  standard 
in  the  Mexican  territories.  Burr  did  not  reach  Smith- 
land  until  November,  and  even  then  had  not  more  than 
three  hundred  men.  His  partisans  say  that  it  was  owing 
to  this  failure  that  Wilkinson  took  his  measures,  and  dis- 
covered the  treason  of  Burr  and  his  followers.  Light 
may  be  thrown  upon  the  subject  by  Burr  himself;  for 
the  present,  I  can  only  say,  that  the  truth  is  not  yet  be- 
fore the  public. 


CHAPTER   XIL 


The  Author  leaves  Pittsburg — Adventure  of  the  Bee-Hunter — 
Arrives  at  Carlisle  and  resumes  his  Studies — Mysterious  Voice 
— Goes  to  Baltimore. 

On  a  cold,  frosty  morning  of  November,  a  youth  might 
be  seen  on  a  stout  Canadian  pony,  issuing  from  the  busy 
town  of  coal  smoke  and  coal  smell,  wrapped  up  in  a  great- 
coat, with  Avell-stuffed  saddle-bags,  and  otherwise  equip- 
ped for  a  journey  over  the  mountains.  Our  knight-errant 
appeared  at  one  moment  in  deep  thought,  and  in  the  next 
without  any  thought  at  all.  He  was  quitting  the  busy 
little  world  and  its  scenes,  where  he  had  received  his 
earliest  and  most  lasting  impressions,  while  the  great 
world  rose  in  vision  before  him,  with  all  its  imaginary 

10 


106  I^RA  C KEN  RID  GE '  S 

shapes  and  towers.  The  thoughts  of  youth  are  like  the 
waves  of  the  sea:  every  breath  of  ah-  gives  a  new  impulse 
to  the  moving  mass,  not  of  waters,  but  of  ideas,  that  chase 
each  other  to  the  shore.  Our  adventurer  dashed  a  tear 
from  his  eye  when  he  thought  of  the  kind  friends  he  had 
left,  and  the  many  days  of  pleasure  he  had  passed ;  but 
when  fancy  pointed  to  the  fairy  scenes  of  the  future,  his 
morning  face  shone  with  joy,  and  anon  he  fell  to  kicking 
the  sides  of  his  heavj^-gaited  nag.  In  the  language  of 
the  Abbe  Du  Pradt,  cet  liomme,  cetait  moi. 

The  situation  just  described  may  be  ranked  among  the 
few  happy  periods  of  our  existence.     As  we  ascend  the 
hill,  and  the  novelty  which  invests  the  distant  prospect 
with  an  azure  hue  begins  to  wear  away,  we  lose  at  the 
same  time  the  fine  sensibility  which  makes  the  charm  of 
life.     There  were   circumstances   in   my  destiny  Avhich 
made  me  sometimes  feel  alone  in  the  world,  and  may 
have  contributed  to  render  my  disposition  an  alternation 
between  melancholy  in  the  one  extreme,  and  delirious 
vivacity  in  the  other.     I  admired  the  juste  milieu;  but 
like  the  pendulum  of  a  clock,  it  could  only  be  attained  by 
me  by  becoming  entirely  motionless.     There  were  times 
when  the  face  of  nature  appeared  to  be  ''  hung  with  black ;" 
at  other  times,  "every  sport  could  please."     Perhaps  I 
am  only  describing  the  feelings  common  to  all  my  fellow- 
men.     We  are  apt  to  think  there  is  something  peculiar  in 
ourselves      This  was  the  mistake  of  Rousseau,  to  which 
I  have  already  made  an  allusion. 

A  truce  to  moralizing.  As  I  advanced  in  my  journey, 
the  love  of  novelty  and  incident  gave  way  to  the  gayer 
genius  ;  I  thought  of  Gil  Bias,  and  Tom  Jones,  and  even 
of  Don  Quixote,  and  began  to  cheer  the  solitary  road  by 
a  ditty  not  worth  the  price  of  an  op(>rn  ticket.  The  plans 
and  prospects  of  my  future  life  gradually  took  possession 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  107 

of  my  thouglits.  I  was  to  remain  some  time  at  Carlisle, 
and  then  either  return  to  take  up  my  residence  in  the 
JV^est,  or  go  to  the  blooming  South  in  search  of  fortune. 
And  then,  what  wonders  to  be  wrought  by  me  at  the  bar  I 
Here  I  began  a  speech  to  the  jury,  and  in  the  midst  of  it 
popped  upon  a  string  of  wagons,  and  then  roared  out, 

"The  glasses  sparkle  on  the  board." 

But  finding  that  the  jingling  of  the  horse  bells  prevented 
the  lords  of  the  road  from  hearing  me,  I  ceased  my  music, 
taking  care  to  nod  my  head  with  civility  as  I  passed, 
which  was  only  noticed  by  surly  looks  from  them.  The 
idea  of  settling  east  of  the  mountains  had  not  entered  into 
my  plans,  for  this  would  be  reversing  the  course  of  emigra- 
tion and  enterprise ;  but  my  father  had  also  formed  his  plans, 
to  which  I  conformed  through  respect,  although  against 
my  instinct,  which  drove  me  to  the  West,  as  the  young 
turtle,  after  being  hatched  by  the  sun,  takes  to  the  water. 
My  journey  across  the  mountains  produced  no  very 
important  incident  until  I  passed  Bedford.  At  a  stream- 
let named  Bloody  Run,  on  account  of  some  murder  com- 
mitted in  early  times  (a  name  calculated  to  call  up  un- 
pleasant associations),  as  I  stopped,  to  let  ray  horse  drink, 
there  suddenly  emerged  from  the  woods  a  tail  man  of 
ferocious  appearance,  with  a  bushy  head,  a  butcher  knife 
hanging  to  his  girdle  in  a  leathern  sheath,  an  axe  held 
on  his  shoulder  by  one  hand,  while  the  other  was  slung 
in  a  handkerchief  tied  round  his  neck.  He  laid  down  his 
axe,  and  then  stooped  to  drink  with  the  hollow  of  his 
hand.  While  1  was  gazing  upon  his  uncouth  frame,  a  fit 
subject  for  the  pencil  of  Salvator  Rosa,  he  suddenly  ac- 
costed me  in  the  Pennsylvania  dialect — "Well,  stranger, 
I  kilt  seventeen  o'  them."  Mercy,  what  will  become  of 
me  ?     'j  Seventeen,  did  you  say  ?"     "  Yes,  seventeen  ;  but 


108  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

I  safe't  the  life  o'  one  o'  them."  There  is  some  hope  yet, 
thought  I.  "  An  I  pit  'im  intill  the  crown  o'  my  hat,  and 
tuck  'im  aleeve,  for  I've  a  charm,  dVe  see;  so  he  can't 
bayte  me."  "0 — yes — yes,"  muttered  I,  "you  found  a 
den  of  rattlesnakes  and  killed  them  all  but  one."  "  That's 
jist  what  I  was  tillen  ye — I  tuck  hoult  of  'im,  an'  he  jist 
scratch't  my  arum  with  his  tooth;  but  it  was  jist  a 
chance,  like,  for  I  have  the  charm,  d'ye  mind,  an'  the  like 
niver  happent  me  afore  since  I  was  a  bay  [bee]  hunter ; 
but  its  gitten  well  Kow,  I'll  tell  ye  a  good  joke.  I  goes 
down  till  the  tavern  where  the  gran'  jidge  was  stoppin, 
an'  I  axed  'im  till  come  in  the  yard  till  see  something,  an' 
when  he  came  out,  I  tuck  aflf  my  hat  an'  throwt  the  sar- 
pent  on  the  groun',  an'  he  begun  till  shake  his  tail,  an' 
the  jidge  jumpt  an'  run,  an'  I  thought  I  would  ha'  died 
laughin."  Here  he  suited  the  action  to  the  word,  and 
gave  a  sample  of  a  mountain  laugh,  enough  to  frighten 
all  the  echoes  in  their  caves,  on  the  circuit  of  half  a  mile. 
My  danger  past,  I  found  the  mysterious  apparition  a 
harmless  fellow,  who  followed  hunting  bee-trees  on  the 
mountains  for  a  living.  He  had  been  very  near  losing 
his  life  by  a  mistaken  confidence  in  his  charm. 

At  this  time  the  roads  over  the  "big  hills"  were 
wretched.  A  stage  traveled  at  the  rate  of  thirty  or  forty 
miles  in  twenty -four  hours ;  that  is,  during  daylight  and 
part  of  the  night.  But  even  this  was  a  vast  improve- 
ment compared  to  the  traveling  a  few  years  before.  The 
magnificence  of  the  mountain  ocencry  filled  my  imagina- 
tion. I  viewed  with  delight  the  beautiful  valleys  which 
lay  below,  highly  cultivated — the  farms  from  the  distance 
appearing  to  consist  of  miniature  fields  and  woods.  On 
coming  to  the  last  mountain,  and  looking  down  on  the 
noble  plain  in  which  Chambersburg  is  situated,  it  seemed 
as  if  the  whole  world  was  unrolled  before  me.     I  gazed 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF   THE    WEST.  109 

with  ccsta?;y  on  the  rich  and  varied  prospect  of  this 
American  Pisgah,  and  I  philosophized  on  the  probability 
of  permanent  prosperity  in  a  country  divided  among  so 
many  proprietors,  and  where  wealth  is  distributed  in  such 
equal  proportions.  There  were  no  castles,  domains,  or 
even  manors.  There  were  no  serfs,  boors,  slaves,  or  even 
peasantry.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  part  of  the  world  where 
there  is  so  much  wealth  distributed  among  so  many  hands, 
and  in  such  equal  proportions,  as  in  Middle  and  Western 
Pennsylvania !  The  great  wall  was  now  passed  by  me — 
the  barrier  which  1  hope  will  never  separate  anything 
but  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic  from  those  of  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico.  It  was  then  I  felt  that  I  was  in  feelings  as  well 
as  birth,  a  native  of  the  Ohio — a  Western  man — and  I  in- 
voluntarily resolved  within  myself  that  this  should  not 
be  the  last  time  of  my  crossing  the  mountains.  At  Ship- 
pensburg  I  determined  to  sell  my  pony  and  take  the 
stage.  The  landlord,  after  finding  as  many  faults  with 
him  as  on  a  similar  occasion  was  found  with  the  mule  of 
Gil  Bias,  agreed  at  last  to  give  me  twenty-five  dollars  for 
him,  in  order,  I  suppose,  to  bestow  him  as  a  charitable 
donation  to  the  crows  of  the  neighborhood. 

On  my  arrival  at  Carlisle  I  found  my  father  very  uneasy 
about  me.  lie  had  heard  of  the  movements  of  Aaron 
Burr  at  Pittsburg,  and  was  apprehensive  that  I  had 
joined  the  expedition  with  other  young  men  of  the  place. 
In  the  course  of  a  few  days  he  oftered  his  views  to  me. 
He  considered  Baltimore  the  best  opening  in  America  for 
a  young  lawyer.  It  was  rapidly  increasing,  and  would 
be  one  of  the  first  commercial  cities  in  the  Union.  By 
proper  industry  I  could  not  fail,  in  the  course  of  a  few 
years,  to  get  into  a  handsf)me  practice,  and,  with  a  little 
assistance,  would  be  enabled  to  live,  along  with  what  little 
business  I  could  obtain,  until  1  became  established,     lie 

10* 


1 1 0  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

thong'ht  he  had  committed  an  error  in  going  to  a  new 
country,  and  regretted  not  having  remained  in  a  city.  He 
painted  the  unfavorable  side  of  the  society  and  the  profes- 
sion in  villages  and  country  courts.  "  If  you  have  but  a 
pig,"  said  he,  "carry  it  to  the  middle  of  the  market.  The 
vicinity  of  Baltimore  to  Washington  must  open  a  great 
theater  for  the  display  of  forensic  talents.  If  it  should  be 
your  lot,"  said  he,  "to  become  eminent,  here  is  a  prospect 
worthy  of  ambition.  But  3"ou  are  not  yet  prepared  to 
appear  upon  such  a  stage ;  although  you  have  gone 
through  the  usual  course  of  legal  education,  there  are 
particular  branches  of  the  law  which  are  indispensable 
for  city  practice,  and  with  which  a  general  acquaintance 
will  not  suffice.  You  must  devote  a  year  or  eighteen 
months  to  the  study  of  the  law  of  nations — the  law  mer- 
chant, such  as  insurance,  bills  of  exchange — the  law  of 
admiralty;  and  then,  as  the  chancery  practice  and  the 
science  of  special  pleading  are  not  so  much  in  use  in 
Pennsylvania  as  in  Maryland,  you  must  endeavor  to 
make  yourself  master  of  these.  You  can,  at  the  same 
time,  pursue  such  general  reading,  by  way  of  relaxation 
from  severer  study,  as  will  tend  to  enlarge  and  polish  the 
mind." 

I  cheerfully  acquiesced  in  this  proposal;  for,  by  this 
time,  my  own  reflection  had  satisfied  me  that,  notwith- 
standing my  four  years'  apprenticeship  to  the  law,  I  had 
much  to  learn ;  or  rather,  that  I  had  learned  comparatively 
but  little,  although  by  no  means  an  idle  student.  As  to 
the  other  plans  of  success  on  the  great  theater  of  the  law, 
I  did  not  feel  so  confident — there  were  misgivings  in  my 
mind,  and  perhaps  there  was  also  some  of  that  kind  of 
false  pride  which  prevents  us  from  pursuing  the  path 
pointed  out  to  us  by  another,  with  the  same  ardor  as  if  it 
had  been  chosen  by  ourselves. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  HI 

I  DOW  became  a  student  in  earnest,  devoting  at  least 
thirteen  or  fourteen  hours  out  of  the  twenty-four  to  my 
books,  under  the  instruction  of  my  father,  when  he  was 
permitted  by  the  duties  of  his  circuit  to  remain  at  home. 
All    my   wants    were    kindly   attended   to   by  my  step- 
mother, leaving  me  nothing  to  think  of  but  my  books. 
Our  house  was  but  little  resorted  to,  except  by  literary 
men;  in  fact,  books  and  reading  formed  the  occupation  of 
its  inmates.    My  little  sister  read  the  newspapers  at  three 
years  old,  my  youngest  brother  was  learning  his  Latin 
and  French  at  six  or  seven,  and  the  elder,  at  fourteen, 
was  translating  Longinus,  and  the  two  works  of  Xeno- 
phon — the  Anabasis  and  Cyropedia — into  literal  English, 
line  for  line,  and  word  for  word,  and  then  putting  it  into 
idiomatic  English,  writing  sentence  by  sentence,  under 
the  direction  of  my  father,  who  considered  this,  with  his 
lectures  and  instructions,  a  practical  course  of  rhetoric. 
As  to  himself,  he  never  dined  out  or  invited  to  dinner, 
and  was  unwilling  to  see  company  until  after  tea ;  when 
persons  dropped  in  to  hear  his  conversation,  in  which 
none  excelled  him,  although  during  the  day  it  was  difficult 
to  get  him  to  say  a  word  except  on  business.     It  was, 
indeed,  a  treat  to  hear  him  speak  when  he  chose  to  un- 
bend.    He  was  an  improvisateur  of  the  first  order.     I 
have  heard  him  relate  a  story,  when  the  illusion  was  so 
perfect  that  the  hearer  would  suppose  there  were  half  a 
dozen  characters  on  the  stage.      Jeffrey,  in  one  of  the 
numbers  of  the  Edinburgh  Beciew,  says  that  Matthews 
was  inferior  to  him  in  relating  a  story.     He  was  entirely 
different ;  there  was  no  buffoonery  or  broad  humor,  either 
in  the  choice  of  his  subject  or  in  his  manner.     Compared 
to   the   stories  of  Matthews,  it  was  genteel  comedy  or 
tragedy  compared  to  broad  farce.     He  generally  walked 
about,  and  seemed  to  require  this,  in  order  to  give  full 


112  J^R^  CKENRIDGE'S 

play  to  liis  powers.  It  is  remarkable  that  what  he  said 
on  the  bench  while  seated  had  nothing-  of  his  usual  elo- 
quence; and  when  he  was  eloquent  there,  which  was  but 
seldom,  he  rose  upon  his  feet. 

He  frequently  dictated  to  me,  sometimes  chapters  foe 
"Modern  Chivalry,"  sometimes  essays  for  various  news- 
papers, chiefly  on  European  politics,  with  which  he  was 
singularly  conversant.  It  was  difficult  to  keep  pace  with 
him.  He  directed  the  punctuation  of  every  sentence  as 
he  went  along.  He  had  been  in  this  habit  for  a  great 
many  years.  His  handwriting  had  become  so  bad  that  it 
was  almost  impossible  for  any  one  to  decipher  it ;  so  much 
so  that  a  trick  was  once  played  upon  him  by  a  gentleman, 
who  sent  back  one  of  his  letters  which  he  could  not  read, 
first  tearing  off  the  signature  and  putting  his  own  in  the 
place  of  it;  my  father  attempted  in  vain  to  make  out  the 
scrawl !  He  would  have  been  an  overmatch  for  Napo- 
leon in  bad  handwriting.  He  often  dictated  his  verse  as 
well  as  his  prose.  I  remember,  when  a  small  boy,  having 
committed  to  memor}^  some  lines  on  General  Wayne, 
which  were  composed  in  bed,  and  dictated  in  the  morning 
to  one  of  the  students.  They  were  the  first  lines  of  poetry 
I  ever  committed.  No  one  was  ever  more  careless  in 
preserving  his  compositions.  He  troubled  himself  as  little 
about  them  as  he  did  for  the  fugitive  effusions  of  his  dis- 
course. He  once  dictated  to  me  a  Pindaric  ode  on  hearing 
a  report  of  the  death  of  Governor  M'Kean,  which  turned 
out  to  be  false. 

The  lines  on  Wayne  have  been  much  admired:  as  they 
will  occupy  but  little  space,  I  will  transcribe  them.  Some 
of  the  thoughts  are  like  Byron's.  Indeed  I  have  often 
thought  there  was  a  remarkable  resemblance  in  some  of 
the  features  of  their  minds,  and  modes  of  thinking  on  a 
variety  of  subjects.     It  is  curious  that  they  both  chose 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  113 

the  same  subject  for  a  poem,  and  a  very  oiit-of-tlie-way 
subject  it  was — tlie  judgment  upon  poor  George  the  Tliird 
in  the  other  world  !    The  lines  on  Wayne  are  as  follows  : 

"  The  birth  of  some  great  men,  or  death, 
Gives  a  celebrity  to  spots  of  earth: 
"We  say  that  Montcalm  fell  on  Abraham's  plain  ; 
That  Butler  presses  the  Miami  bank ; 
And  that  the  promontory  of  Sigeum 
Has  Achilles's  tomb. 
Presqu'  Isle  saw  Wayne  expire. 
There  the  traveler  shall  see  his  monument ; 
At  least  his  grave.     For  this, 
Corroding  jealousy  will  not  detract; 
But  allow  a  mound — 
Some  little  swelling  of  the  earth, 
To  mark  the  interment  of  his  bones. 
Brave,  honest  soldier,  sleep — 
Arid  let  the  dews  weep  over  thee, 
W^hile  gales  shall  sigh  across  the  lake  ; 
Till  man  shall  recognize  thy  worth. 
And  coming  to  the  place  will  ask, 
'  Is  this  where  Wayne  is  buried  ?'" 

My  course  of  study  began  with  waiters  on  general  law, 
such  as  Burlamaqui,  Rutherforth  and  others.  I  then  read 
Yattel,  Martens,  Azuni,  Puffendorf,  and  the  common 
writers  on  the  law  of  nations.  After  this  I  proceeded  to 
Beaux's  Lex  Mercatoria,  Park  on  Insurance,  Abbot  on 
Shipping,  Chitty  on  Bills  of  Exchange  and  Promissory 
Notes.  I  read  the  British  Reports  of  Cases  in  Admiralty, 
and  the  Decisions  in  the  Courts  of  the  United  States  as 
far  as  the  books  then  published,  which  form  but  a  small 
portion  of  what  is  now  extant.  My  next  course  was 
Fonblanque,  the  various  works  on  the  law  of  equity,  and 
the  Chancery  Reports.  I  concluded  the  year  by  reading 
Sergeant  Williams's  edition  of  Saunders's  Reports :  Chitty 
on  Pleading  not  having  appeared  at  this  time.     This  did 


114  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

not,  however,  occupy  the  whole  of  my  time.  I  read  a 
great  deal  of  miscellaneous  matter,  both  in  prose  and 
verse.  Two  works  which  I  read  opened  a  new  view  to 
my  mind,  Gerard  on  Genius,  and  the  same  author  on 
Taste.  I  am  surprised  that  these  two  admirable  produc- 
tions should  be  so  little  known.  They  are  now  out  of 
print,  yet  ''their  sterling  bullion"  shines  through  the  pages 
of  may  a  modern  author.  I  found  time  also  to  improve 
myself  in  the  German,  and  was  enabled  to  read  some  of 
their  best  authors,  such  as  Gellart  the  German  Addison, 
some  of  the  works  of  Schiller  and  of  Goethe.  I  com- 
mitted to  memory  the  beautiful  tale  of  Selim  and  Selima. 
I  sometimes  wrote  for  the  German  newspaper,  which  was 
conducted  by  a  clergyman,  who  translated  my  English, 
thus  facilitating  my  acquisition  of  the  German.  I  was 
also  enabled  to  learn  the  Italian  grammar,  and  make 
some  progress  in  the  pronunciation,  with  the  assistance 
of  a  Catholic  priest,  a  native  of  Rome. 

It  was  my  constant  practice  when  the  weather  was 
fine,  after  early  tea,  to  saunter  out  to  a  place  west  of  the 
town,  where  the  plain  is  encumbered  with  rude  masses 
of  rock,  bearing  some  resemblance  to  the  rains  of  an 
ancient  city;  for  which  reason  I  gave  it  the  name  of  the 
Ruins  of  Palmyra — a  name  it  still  retains.  Here  I  de- 
claimed and  read,  and  committed  to  memory  passages 
from  the  English  poets ;  often  continuing  to  mutter  them 
over  and  over  for  an  hour  or  two  after  the  last  rays  of 
the  sun  had  disappeared.  One  dark  night,  while  thus 
employed  in  this  lonely  spot,  a  fit  retreat  for  robbers  and 
runaways — if  there  had  been  such,  a  voice  suddenly  cried 
out  to  me  to  stop  !  I  did  so,  and  listened  for  a  moment, 
until  the  words  were  repeated,  and  I  fancied  that  foot- 
steps were  heard — but  my  curiosity  was  satisfied;  and, 
resembling  Achilles  at  least  in  one  particular,  swiftness 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  115 

of  foot,  I  was  soon  in  the  streets  of  the  town.  The  mys- 
tery was  never  exphiined.  It  could  not  have  been  a  mis- 
chievous trick,  or  it  would  have  been  made  known.  After 
this  my  rambles  and  spoutings  were  confined  to  more 
seasonable  hours. 

I  attended  the  courts  at  Carlisle,  where  there  were  two 
very  able  lawyers,  Mr.  Watts  and  Mr.   Duncan.     The 
former  was  possessed  of  a  powerful  mind,  and  was  the 
most  vehement  speaker  I  ever  heard.    He  seized  his  sub- 
ject with  an  Herculean  grasp ;  at  the  same  time  throwing 
his  Herculean  body  and  limbs  into  attitudes  which  Avould 
have  delighted  a  painter  or  sculptor.     He  was  a  singular 
instance   of  the   union  of  great  strength  of  mind,  with 
bodily  powers  equally  wonderful.     Mr.  Duncan  was  one 
of  the  best  lawyers  and  advocates  I  have  ever  seen  at 
any  bar;  and  he  was  perhaps  the  ablest  judge  that  ever 
sat  on  the  supreme  bench  of  the  State.     He  was  a  very 
small  man,  with  a  large  but  well-formed  head.     There 
never  was  a  lover  more  devoted  to  his  mistress  than  Mr. 
Duncan  was  to  the  study  of  the  law.     He  perused  Coke 
on   Littleton  as  a  recreation,  and  read  new  books  of  re- 
ports as  a  young  lady  reads  the  new  novels.     His  educa- 
tion had  not  been  very  good,  and  his  general  reading  was 
not  remarkable.     I  was  informed  that  he  read  frequently 
the  plays  of  Shakspeare;  and  from  that  source  derived 
that  uncommon  richness  and  variety  of  diction  by  which 
he  was  enaljled  to  embellish  the  most  abstruse  subjects, 
although  his  language  was  occasionally  marked  by  inac- 
curacies, even  violation  of  common  grammar  rules.     Mr. 
Duncan  reasoned  with  admirable  clearness  and  method  on 
all  legal  subjects ;   and,  at  the  same  time  displayed  great 
knowledge  of  human  nature  in  the  examination  of  wit- 
nesses, and  in  his  addresses  to  the  jury.  Mr.  Watts  merely 
selected  the  strong  points  of  his  case,  and  labored  them 


116  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

with  an  earnestness  and  zeal  approaching  to  fury;  and, 
perhaps,  his  forcible  manner  sometimes  produced  a  more 
certain  effect  than  that  of  the  subtle  and  wily  advocate 
opposed  to  him. 

Judge  Hamilton,  who  presided,  was  a  learned  and 
elegant  lawyer;  remarkably  slow  and  impressive  in  his 
manner,  and  in  his  charges  to  the  jury  too  minute.  He 
was  an  Irishman  by  birth,  and  had  received  his  education 
in  Dublin.  Among  the  younger  members  of  the  bar,  Mr. 
Gibson,  now  chief  justice  of  the  State,  was  the  most 
conspicuous.  He,  even  then,  had  a  high  reputation  for 
the  clearness  and  soundness  of  his  judgment,  and  the 
superiority  of  his  taste. 

I  had  been  upwards  of  twelve  months  pursuing  this 
course  of  preparation,  when  I  began  to  grow  impatient — 
the  fault  of  youth.  My  father  would  have  wished  me  to 
remain  longer,  and  put  a  work  into  my  hand,  extremely 
well  written,  but  anonymous,  on  the  study  of  the  law. 
The  work  has  been  attributed,  I  think  erroneously,  to  Sir 
James  Mackintosh.  The  writer  was  of  opinion  that  thirty 
years  of  age  was  soon  enough  to  come  to  the  bar ;  and 
as  I  was  only  turned  of  twenty-one,  nine  years  would 
have  to  be  passed  in  preparation!  It  might  do  in  Eng- 
land, I  thought;  but  the  plan  w^as  not  suited  to  America, 
at  least  to  me.  My  father  yielded  to  my  impatience,  but 
not  without  good  advice.  "The  profession  of  the  law," 
said  he,  "is  the  road  to  honor  and  preferment  in  this 
countr}";  but  in  a  city  you  cannot  expect  to  succeed 
without  the  utmost  diligence  and  application  to  business. 
You  must  always  be  in  your  office ;  and  until  you  are 
enabled  to  lay  up  something,  let  that  be  the  only  office 
you  will  seek ;  at  least,  avoid  everything  connected  with 
politics.  When  you  shall  attain  the  age  of  forty-five  or 
fifty,  and  have  secured  a  moderate  independence,  you  may 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  in 

amuse  yourself  with  politics,  or  in  au}^  other  lawful  way ; 
but  until  then  your  attention  must  be  constantly  directed 
to  your  business.  I  will  make  you  up  a  small  library 
and  a  purse  of  a  hundred  dollars  or  so.  As  my  salary  is 
almost  my  only  dependence,  for  I  have  committed  a  great 
error  in  not  attending  sufficiently  to  the  main  chance,  you 
must  now  swim  without  a  cork  jacket.  As  you  write  a 
good  hand,  you  may  find  support  for  awhile  by  assisting 
some  lawyer  in  extensive  business,  and  doing  the  drudg- 
ery of  the  office.  You  may  assist  as  clerk  of  the  court, 
or  a  notary.  But,  above  all  things,  beware  of  going  in 
debt;  the  man  who  is  in  debt  is  no  longer  free — he  is  a 
slave." 

Such  was  the  paternal  advice ;  some  of  it  excellent — 
and  some  of  it  too  much  like  that  given  to  Gil  Bias  by  his 
reverend  uncle  and  by  his  affectionate  parents,  who  en- 
joined him  to  be  honest  to  every  one,  but  never  hinted 
that  he  must  also  be  on  his  guard  against  the  dishonesty 
of  others.  If  I  had  been  one  of  those  thrifty  creatures 
which,  like  a  cat,  will  fall  upon  his  feet  even  if  tossed 
from  a  three-story  window,  the  advice  would  not  have 
been  necessary;  but  as  I  was  the  reverse  of  this  character, 
it  was  like  to  be  of  little  use  unless  favored  by  some  lucky 
turn  of  fortune — a  giant  overcome  in  his  castle,  or  one  of 
those  incidents  which  lie  within  the  scope  of  romance, 
but  which  are  not  very  common  in  real  life. 


11 


118  BRACKENRWGE'S 


CHAPTER    XIII. 

Arrives  in  Baltimore — Visits  the  Theater — Introduction  to  the 
Bar — The  Difficulty  of  getting  into  Practice— Moyens  d'y 
Parvenir. 

It  was  about  the  begiuning"  of  December,  about  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  that  I  stopped  at  the  Indian  Queen 
in  the  City  of  Baltimore,  having  arrived  in  the  stage  in 
company  with  a  young  gentleman  of  Carlisle.  It  was 
the  first  time  in  my  life  I  had  ever  been  in  a  large  town, 
and  compared  to  the  villages  where  I  had  passed  my 
early  days,  this  city  was  a  London.  The  reader's  imag- 
ination will  better  furnish  him  an  idea  of  the  effect  upon 
the  mind  of  a  countr}'  youth  of  his  first  entry  into  a  great 
city,  than  can  be  given  by  the  most  faithful  description. 
Although  I  could  see  but  little  except  the  glare  of  the 
lights  in  every  direction,  the  illuminated  shops,  and  the 
croAvds  hastening-  along  the  sidewalks,  nor  could  hear 
anything  but  the  mingled  rumbling  composed  of  a  thou- 
sand different  sounds,  I  was  lost  in  amazement. 

My  companion,  after  supper,  proposed  a  visit  to  the 
theater.  As  he  was  no  stranger  to  the  ways  of  the  town, 
I  put  myself  under  his  guidance.  We  accordingly  re- 
paired to  this  place  of  amusement,  which  was  much  more 
fashionable  than  it  is  at  the  present  day.  On  entering 
the  row  of  boxes  I  was  almost  blinded  by  the  blaze  of 
light  which  burst  upon  me.  Add  to  this,  the  pealing 
sounds  of  the  orchestra,  the  sea  of  heads  below,  and  the 
multitude  of  persons  of  both  sexes  in  costly  and  fashion- 
able dress,  and  the  reader  may  imagine  the  effect  produced. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE   WEST.  119 

After  the  first  moments  of  wonder  were  passed,  I  felt  op- 
pressed by  a  sense  of  the  solitude  of  the  scene.  I  had 
never  felt  so  lonesome  in  the  midst  of  the  wildest  forests. 
When  I  considered  the  mass  of  human  beings  among 
whom  I  was  thus  cast,  the  addition  of  my  person  or  its 
withdrawal  would  produce  about  as  much  effect  as  the 
addition  or  subtraction  of  a  single  drop  of  water  to  or 
from  the  ocean.  Among  all  this  multitude  not  a  single 
eye  or  thought  rested  upon  me.  Suddenly  the  curtain 
rose,  my  attention  was  at  once  arrested,  and  my  mind 
relieved  from  this  unpleasant  mood.  The  play  was  Ham- 
let, and  the  players  were  Cooper  and  Wood,  Mrs.  Warren 
and  Mrs.  Wood.  This  was  indeed  new  to  me,  and  de- 
lightful. Mrs.  Warren,  although  somewhat  emibonpoint, 
had  a  beautiful  hand  and  arm ;  her  voice  was  full,  and  as 
soft  as  velvet.  Cooper  was  then  considered  the  perfection 
of  acting,  and  certainly  possessed  that  extraordinary  com- 
bination necessary  to  form  a  great  actor — fine  person, 
countenance,  and  voice,  with  intellect  and  feeling.  I  had 
no  idea  before  of  what  could  be  done  by  the  voice  and 
gesture.  Although  the  stage  manner  does  not  suit  the 
bar,  yet  I  was  convinced  there  was  room  for  cultivation 
even  there.  Correct  pronunciation,  distinct  articulation, 
and  proper  emphasis  are  requisite  in  all  public  speakers, 
and  a  thousand  faults,  which  shock  a  person  of  taste,  are 
studiously  shunned  by  the  masters  of  the  scenic  art.  It 
is  a  school  in  which  much  may  be  learned  by  the  orator. 
It  was  thought  so  Ijy  the  ancients.  Demosthenes  was 
listened  to  with  indifference  until  he  was  taught  by  an 
actor  how  to  deliver  his  speeches;  and  Cicero  received 
the  benefit  of  similar  tuition. 

It  was  nearly  twelve  o'clock  before  we  got  back  to  the 
hotel,  where  we  found  a  cold  supper  prepared  for  us.  I 
paid  my  respects  to  the  wing  of  a  boiled  fowl,  while  my 


120  ^^^4  CKENRIDGE'S 

companion  gobbled  up  a  dozen  or  two  of  horrid-looking 
things  called  oysters  !  I  slept  but  little  that  night — every 
sound  was  strange,  especially  the  cry  of  the  watchmen, 
and  1  began  to  fear  that,  like  Macbeth,  I  was  to  "  sleep 
no  more."  The  next  morning  I  found  the  office  of  Mr. 
Nisbet,  son  of  the  great  Doctor  Nisbet,  former  president 
of  the  College  of  Carlisle.  Mr.  Nisbet  was  then  in  good 
practice  as  a  lawyer,  highly  respectable  in  his  profession, 
and  possessed  of  every  good  and  noble  quality  of  the 
heart.  He  received  me  in  the  most  friendly  manner ;  of- 
fered to  introduce  me  to  his  friends,  which  I  soon  found 
to  be  almost  every  man  in  the  city,  to  move  for  my  ad- 
mission to  the  bar ;  and  told  me  in  the  mean  time  to 
make  myself  at  home  in  his  office.  All  this  was  well  so 
far.  It  was  a  good  beginning,  and  if  improved  might 
lead  to  something. 

I  will  pass  over  my  admission  to  the  bar,  my  introduc- 
tion to  the  members  and  to  many  other  persons,  and  my 
gradually  becoming  familiarized  with  the  scene — say  for 
a  month  or  two  after  my  arrival.  It  was  now  time  to 
look  a  little  into  the  future,  and  to  see  whether  I  had 
brought  my  goods  to  a  fair  market.  I  attended  daily  at 
the  office  of  Mr.  Nisbet ;  and  found  that  the  practice  of 
the  courts,  and  a  thousand  other  things,  were  different 
from  what  I  had  been  taught.  There  were,  it  is  true, 
the  same  common  law,  equity,  and  admiralty  systems, 
and  pretty  much  the  same  model  of  conducting  the  trial 
of  a  cause;  but  then  the  preparatory  steps  and  the  local 
statutes  required  at  least  a  year's  apprenticeship  in  a 
lawyer's  office.  I  had  been  looking  to  the  higher  branches 
of  the  profession,  and  was  much  more  at  home  there  than 
in  the  drudgery  according  to  the  Maryland  practice; 
while  it  was  only  the  older  lawyers  of  established  reputa- 
tions who  could  find  employment  in  the  first,  and  in  the 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  121 

latter  I  was  not  sufficiently  versed.  If  I  had  listened  to 
the  advice  of  prudence  I  would  have  sat  down  to  ijie 
desk  for  at  least  a  year,  doing  all  the  labor  of  the  office, 
as  a  special  favor  to  me,  studying  the  laws  of  the  State, 
and  picking  up  any  crumb  of  knowledge  as  it  fell  from 
those  who  were  skilled  in  the  local  laws  and  practice. 
The  common  law  of  England  has  undergone  a  modifica- 
tion in  almost  every  State,  and  without  a  perfect  knowl- 
edge of  these  variations  and  conflict  of  laics,  it  is  im- 
possible for  the  mere  practitioner,  or  rather  attorney  or 
solicitor,  to  get  along ;  although  the  advocate  might,  if 
his  profession  were  separated  from  that  of  the  attorney; 
but  it  is  by  means  of  the  attorney's  docket  that  a  begin- 
ner may  hope  to  climb  up  to  the  more  honorable  rank. 
In  the  new  States  the  difficulty  is  not  so  great,  because 
the  local  statutes  are  less  numero-us,  and  the  pleadings 
and  practice  are  more  careless,  loose,  and  unsettled  :  and 
what  is  more  than  all,  there  are  none  of  those  deeply- 
rooted  reputations,  which,  like  spreading  oaks,  keep 
down  all  the  young  growth  about  them.  But  no  lawyer 
can  practice  in  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  Maryland,  New 
York,  or  Massachusetts,  without  being  much  embarrassed 
at  every  step,  unless  he  has  served  an  apprenticeship  in 
those  States. 

Such  was  the  first  difficulty  which  presented  itself  to 
me  in  Baltimore ;  it  was  unexpected  and  discouraging, 
but  it  was  not  the  only  one.  I  found  my  situation  al- 
most as  awkward  as  that  of  poor  George  in  the  Vicar  of 
Wakefield,  who  found  that  he  had  another  language  to 
learn  before  he  could  teach  his  own  to  foreigners. 

I  very  soon  gave  up  the  idea  of  taking  an  office  of  my 
own.  The  rent  would  have  to  be  secured — say  one  hun- 
dred dollars ;  it  would  have  to  be  furnished  at  an  expense 

II* 


122  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

of  at  least  two  hundred ;  both  beyond  my  means.  And 
if  once  established  in  it,  was  there  any  certainty  of  busi- 
ness ?  A  barber's  pole  might  attract  customers ;  a  shop 
for  the  sale  of  small  wares  would  attract  buyers  ;  but 
people  shun  the  office  of  an  unknown  lawyer  or  attorney 
almost  as  instinctively  as  they  do  a  bog  or  quagmire.  I 
found  it  would  not  do  to  remain  longer  at  an  expensive 
hotel,  so  that  my  only  course  was  eitlier  to  decamp  as 
soon  as  possible,  or  find  some  place  where  I  could  live. 
The  idea  of  finding  any  employment  as  a  clerk  was  out 
of  the  question;  and  any  professional  business  of  my 
own,  or  partnership  with  another,  at  present  at  least,  was 
hopeless.  Fortunately  for  me,  I  had  a  cousin,  Mr.  James 
Clark,  who  had  been  a  printer,  but  who  had  sold  out,  and 
established  a  small  retail  store  in  the  suburbs.  I  put 
into  his  hands  nearl}^  all  my  remaining  cash,  and  became 
a  boarder,  having  a  small  room  in  his  little  tenement  for 
myself  and  my  books.  Here  I  felt  myself  as  snug  as  a 
squirrel  in  his  hole  ;  and  when  1  chose  to  peep  out  into 
the  great  world,  it  was  no  longer  with  the  horror  of  want, 
misery,  or  starvation,  which  I  had  begun  to  feel.  Having 
now  secured  the  main  chance,  I  could  go  forth  and  study 
the  stage  on  which  I  was  placed ;  I  could  play  that  part 
which  Cicero  considers  as  the  most  honorable — that  of 
the  spectator. 

I  first  directed  my  attention  to  what  related  to  my  pro- 
fession, and  to  the  moyens  Wy  parvenir  adopted  by  those 
who  had  succeeded  or  who  had  failed  in  their  attempts 

" to  climb 


The  steep  where  Fame's  proud  temple  shines  afar." 

The  first  thing  that  struck  me  was  the  extraordinary 
number  of  the  corps,  and  the  small  portion  of  it  who 
seemed  to  be  earning  a  living  by  their  practice.     At  this 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  123 

time,  the  courts  of  Baltimore  were  full  of  business,  but 
still  more  full  of  lawyers.     The  admiralty  had  the  most 
important,  and  this  was  confined  to  four  or  five  of  the 
oldest  and  most  experienced ;  the  county  court  afforded 
employment  for  a  greater  number,  but  the  argument  of 
cases  was  also  engrossed  by  a  few ;  the  criminal  court 
was  also  monopolized  by  four  or  five  popular  lawyers. 
Those   who  were    successful    in   getting    into   practice 
appeared  to  be  overwhelmed  with  business ;  they  were 
constantly  called  for  in  all  directions,  and  one  would  sup- 
pose that  it  was  necessary  in  consequence  of  some  privi- 
lege or  positive  regulation.     No  matter  what  ability  was 
displayed  occasionally  by  others,  as  an  accidental  oppor- 
tunity presented,  the  clients,  as   if  led  by  a  charm,  still 
followed  the  lawyer  who  had  the  largest  practice,  and 
who,  on  that  account,  was  often  less  able  to  do  justice  to 
the   case.     I  found  that  those  Iaw3^er3  who  had  not  a 
regular  and  growing  clientele  were  in  this  curious  dilem- 
ma— that  is,  to  get  business  it  was  necessary  for  them  to 
have  business,  and  to  have  business  it  was  necessary  to 
get  business.     Sir  William  Jones,  in  his  preface  to  the 
translation  of  Isseus,  gives  a  melancholy  picture  of  the 
situation  of  the  members  of  the  profession  in  London  who 
are  waiting  for  briefs,  and  of  the  smallness  of  the  number 
of  those  who  are  in  full  practice  at  any  one  time  in  the 
different  courts,  and  yet  inferior  to  many  who  wait  for 
years  for  their  promotion.     It  is  pretty  much  the  case  in 
our  cities,  and  ought  to  be  a  serious  consideration  to  per- 
sons who  have  marked  out  for  themselves  or  their  children, 
a  career  so  difficult  and  uncertain.     Those  who  are  for- 
tunate have  the  advantage  of  being  able,  by  unremitted 
and  almost  slavish  assiduity,  to  secure  their  good  fortune; 
this  is  one  reason  why  the  new  candidates  for  practice  do 
not  succeed   so  readily,   for  they   cannot  do  it   without 


k 


124  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

taking  away  the  clients  of  others.  In  a  city  a  lawyer  or 
a  physician  is  as  jealous  of  his  client  or  patient  as  he 
would  be  of  any  encroachment  on  his  vested  rights.  In 
cities  it  is  perhaps  more  common  in  all  pursuits  or  occupa- 
tions, for  persons  to  have  the  run  of  custom  in  particular 
kinds  of  business,  without  any  real  superiorit}' ;  perhaps 
the  idea  is  best  expressed  by  the  word  fashion.  It  js  the 
force  of  imitation  and  habit,  or  perhaps  of  opinion,  which 
operates  so  powerfully  on  multitudes.  Judge  Cooper 
once  told  me  there  was  a  sort  of  niche  near  London 
Bridge  which  rented  for  a  hundred  guineas  a  year,  merely 
for  the  sale  of  walking- canes,  because  it  was  the  fashion 
to  bu}^  them  there  ! 

The  bar  might  be  divided  into  the  following  classes  : 
first,  those  engaged  in  lucrative  practice,  about  five  or  six 
in  each  of  the  courts,  and  who  made  from  two  to  five 
thousand  dollars  per  annum  ;  secondly,  those  who  were 
beginning  to  get  into  business,  and  who,  with  economy, 
might  clear  their  way — say  double  the  number  of  the 
former ;  in  the  third  place,  came  the  "  dark  cloud — that 
hung  upon  the  rear  of  the  bar,"  as  Mr.  Wirt  calls  them 
in  his  "  Spy. "  These  constituted  at  least  two-thirds  of  the 
whole  number.  Some  of  this  cloud  were  pursuing  the  right 
course  to  get  into  business.  They  were  constantly  in 
court,  whether  they  had  anything  to  do  or  not ;  they 
endeavored  to  appear  ])usy  ;  and  if  they  had  oflSccs,  were 
always  there  when  the  court  was  not  in  session  ;  avoided 
general  literature,  or  parties  of  pleasure ;  and  were  by 
degrees  getting  the  character  of  promising  business  men. 
If  in  the  course  of  years  they  could  get  clients,  and  at  the 
same  time  possessed  bar  talents,  they  would  become 
advocates  ;  if  not,  take  in  some  one  into  i)artnership  who 
happened  to  be  better  gifted.  There  were  others,  how- 
ever, who  thought  they  could  break  down  all  difficulties 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  125 

by  a  few  brilliant  displays  of  eloquence — but  without 
success ;  the  display  was  admired  for  the  time,  and  that 
was  all ;  no  clientele  followed.  Some  were  young  men 
of  respectable  families  of  the  city,  politely  educated, 
placed  in  genteel  apartments,  but  who  could  not  submit 
to  constant  confinement,  either  in  their  offices  or  in  the 
court-house.  Their  profession  was,  in  short,  a  name. 
The  saying  of  my  father,  in  one  of  his  books,  applies  to 
them:  "It  is  as  hard  for  a  rich  man's  son  to  succeed  in 
the  law  as  it  is  for  a  camel  to  pass  through  the  eye  of  a 
needle." 

There  were  many  others  who  could  not  well  be  included 
in  these  divisions.     One  young  lawyer  of  very  moderate 
parts,  had  got  into  a  handsome  practice  by  the  aid  of  his 
father,  who  was  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  who  sent  him 
clients.     Others,  by  constant  attendance  on  the  courts, 
making  acquaintances  with  bailiffs,  chatting  with  jurors, 
witnesses,  or  parties,  and  then  following  up  the  acquaint- 
ance, had  contrived  to  collect  a  little  string  of  clients, 
which,  if  properly  nursed,  might  increase.     This  was  like 
fishing  for  small  fry.     A  few,  by  pursuing  a  course  not 
regarded  as  reputable,  such  as  talking  to  suitors,  affecting 
to  take  a  personal  interest  in  their  affairs,  making  sugges- 
tions, and  rendering  themselves  useful,  contrived  in  the 
end   to    filch    a   client   from   some   lawyer   in    practice. 
Others,  by  taking  those  clients  who  had  been  already 
picked  to  the  bone,  and  using  them  as  stool  pigeons,  con- 
trived to  draw  a  few  into  their  nets.     There  were  other 
moyens    d^y  parvenir,   not   disreputable ;    such    as    an 
attendance    on    the   criminal    court,    which    sometimes 
enabled  young  lawyers  who  possessed  a  popular  manner 
and   address,  to   make  themselves   known.     Some  were 
patronized  by  particular  portions  of  the  population,  such 
as  the  Scotch,  Germans,  or  Irish ;  and  I  knew  a  young 


126  BRA  CKEXRID  GE'S 

lawyer  of  very  common  capacity,  who  contrived  to  get  a 
decent  living  by  becoming  a  Roman  Catholic — of  course, 
in  consequence  of  an  honest  conversion.  The  young 
lawyers  who  came  from  abroad,  and  had  no  friends  or 
relations  to  push  them  forward,  were  in  a  worse  condition 
than  the  natives.     A  poor  fellow, 

"Whalpit  some  place  far  abroad, 
Where  sailors  gang  to  fish  for  cod," 

wiiom  I  shall  not  name,  had  a  neat  office,  well  furnished 
with  desks,  tables,  chairs,  and  book-cases,  which  he  con- 
trived to  procure  on  credit. 

He  told  me  that  his  plan  was  to  establish  the  relation- 
shijy  of  debtor  and  creditor;  that  is,  to  become  in  debt  to 
as  many  as  he  could,  and  by  this  means  make  it  the  in- 
terest of  his  creditors  to  patronize  him  and  push  him  into 
practice,  in  order  to  secure  the  payment  of  their  debts. 
He  advised  me  to  follow  his  example,  but  I  thought  it 
best  to  see  the  result  of  the  experiment  in  his  case.  It 
was  not  long  before  he  was  patronized  to  a  troublesome 
extent.  He  soon  found  it  convenient  to  absent  himself 
as  much  as  possible  from  his  office,  except  on  Sunday; 
or,  before  venturing  to  it  on  week-days,  he  made  it  a 
practice  to  look  round  the  corner  to  see  that  the  coast 
was  clear.  One  morning,  happening  to  pass  that  way,  I 
saw  a  little  Frenchman  thundering  at  the  door,  and,  as  I 
stopped,  he  inquired  of  me  in  an  angry  tone,  "Where  is 

Mr.  S ?"    "  I  suppose,  at  court,"  said  I.     "  No,  sair — 

not  at  court,  I  can  ncvair  find  him."    "  I  have  no  doubt," 

said  I,  ''  that  Mr.  S would  be  very  sorry  to  lose  a 

client — a  good  fee  is  an  acceptable  thing,  sir,  to  us  young 
lawyers."     "Yat  dat  you  say,  sair — good  client — good 

FEE — foutre — no  client — no  fee,  sair — Mr.  S owe  me 

nionay — he  muss  pay  me."     Poor  S was  soon  after 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  12t 

obliged  to  run,  in  order  to  save — not  his  life — but  what 
is  more  valuable — the  great  boon  for  which  Washington 

fought — his  LIBERTY. 


CHAPTER    XIY. 

The  Author   gives  up  all  Hope  of  getting   into  Practice — He 
becomes  a  Man  of  Fashion  and  of  Pleasure. 

The  reader  may  readily  conceive  that  the  difficulties 
which  stood  in  the  way  of  my  professional  success  were 
such  as  to  discourage  me.  Yet,  if  I  had  set  my  heart  on 
it,  I  should  have  persevered,  and,  by  some  road  or  other, 
have  attained  my  object.  But  when  I  looked  at  the  situa- 
tion of  the  young  lawyers  in  small  practice,  and  who  had 
fair  prospects  of  getting  into  the  higher  rank  of  their  pro- 
fession at  the  age  of  thirty-five  or  forty,  which  to  a  young 
man  of  twenty-two  appeared  almost  the  end  of  life  and 
its  enjoyments,  I  could  see  but  little  to  captivate  my  am- 
bition or  desires.  To  be  chained  to  an  office  from  morn- 
ing till  night,  or  to  sit  in  court,  without  anything  to  do 
for  hours  in  succession,  while  case  after  case  was  called 
over,  judgment  taken,  continued,  or  struck  off,  was  iusup- 
portably  irksome.  I  was  learning  nothing  when  causes 
were  not  tried,  and  when  they  were  it  was  vexatious  to  be 
compelled  to  take  no  part  in  the  war.  I  had  a  touch  of  the 
wilderness  about  me,  and  hated  slavish  confinement  and 
routine.  I  was  therefore  not  enamored  of  the  practice  in 
the  city,  except  as  a  school.  The  court  of  appeals  and 
the  court  of  chancery  were  held  at  Annapolis,  so  that  the 
admiraltv  court  was  the  onlv  school  where  I  could  learn 


128  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

much,  and  this  was  a  court  occupied  only  by  a  few  law- 
yers of  the  very  first  eminence.  The  county  and  criminal 
courts  afforded  me  little  novelty  or  instruction,  and  the 
display  of  talents  did  not  come  up  to  what  I  had  witnessed 
at  Pittsburg  and  Carlisle. 

My  observations  also  led  me  to  see  that  the  professional 
men  were  only  in  moderate  circumstances ;  at  least,  it  may 
be  safely  asserted,  that  no  lawyer  made  anything  more 
than  a  very  moderate  independence  by  the  fruits  of  his 
practice;  and  the  few  who  succeeded  thus  far,  did  not 
accomplish  it  by  the  mere  fees  they  received,  but  by  in- 
vestments in  stocks,  or  in  other  dealings  and  speculations. 
The  truth  is,  that  after  a  life  spent  in  a  most  laborious 
and  vexatious  pursuit,  very  few  lawyers  have  been  able 
to  leave  more  than  a  very  moderate  support  for  their 
wives  and  children  for  a  few  years.     Even  Webster  had 
for  many  years  to  rely  on  a  life  insur^ance,  the  premium  of 
which  cost  him  half  his  yearly  earnings.     In  the  country, 
opportunities  offer  for  speculations  in  land,  and  by  in- 
vestments in  the  new  States,  where  the  rapid  increase 
in  value  sometimes  lays  the  foundation  of  considerable 
fortune.     The  profession  of  the  law  in  the  United  States 
may  be  the  road  to  honor  and  preferment,  but  it  is  far 
from  being  the  certain  road  to  wealth — it  is  often  "  the 
road  to  ruin." 

Having  made  up  my  mind  that  professional  success  in 
Baltimore  was  neither  practicable  nor  desirable,  I  de- 
termined to  occupy  myself  in  attending  the  courts  as 
places  of  instruction  and  amusement,  and  to  make  myself 
better  acquainted  with  the  ways  of  the  world  by  extend- 
ing my  intercourse  with  all  kinds  of  people.  My  literary 
pursuits  were  never  intermitted,  although  my  law  reading 
was  irregular.  I  had  the  privilege  of  the  city  library, 
and  was  on  such  intimate  terms  with  the  booksellers  that 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  129 

I  could  obtain  any  new  publication,  and  pass  an  hour  or 
two  in  their  shops  as  a  convenient  lounge.     I  read  much 
at  night;  the  mornings  were  generally  devoted  to  the 
Italian  language,  also  to  the  Spanish.     My  practice  of 
declamation  was  still  continued  in  solitar}^  places  out  of 
the  city,  especially  in  a  kind  of  heath  or  common  near 
"Ferry  Branch,"  the  least  frequented  place  I  could  find. 
For  some  months  I  studiously  avoided  any  introduction 
to  fashionable  life,  further  than  a  morning  call  or  an  even- 
ing visit  at  a  few  houses,  having  been  warned  by  my 
father  against  the  seduction  of  social  amusements  and 
pleasure — especially  of  convivial  parties.     The  beginning 
of  my  career  in  the  road  of  fashion  was  in  some  measure 
accidental.     I  sometimes  passed  an  evening  at  Judge 
Chace's,    with    whom   my   father    had   read   law.     The 
venerable  judge  was  then  nursing  his  gout,  but  his  gigan- 
tic person  and  equally  gigantic  mind  were  still  the  objects 
of  admiration.     He  was  fond  of  the  society  of  young 
men,  and  talked  to  them  with  great  familiarity,  and  some- 
times very  bluntly;  his  conversation  was,  however,  highly 
instructive.     He  invited  me  to  dine  with  him,  which  I 
ought  to  have  considered  a  high  compliment  if  I  had  not 
been  much  of  a  novice  in  the  grand  monde.     The  time 
fixed  was  a  few  days  ahead,  and  unfortunately  escaped 
my  recollection.    Some  evenings  after  this  sin  of  omission, 
I  dropped  in  before  tea,  and  had  scarcely  taken  my  scat, 
when  he  inquired,  in  a  stentorian  voice,  why  I  had  not 
accepted  his  invitation.    In  my  simplicity  I  told  the  truth. 
"  What,  sir,  forget  an  invitation  to  dine  with  me ;  I  admire 

your  candor,  sir,  but  d n  your  politeness!"   I  saw  the 

blunder  I  had  committed;  it  was  too  late  to  repair  it;  but 
I  resolved  after  this  to  feign  sickness,  death,  or  captivity, 
anvthino:  rather  than  mv  own  forgetfulness.  His  daugh- 
ter  Mary  (now  Mrs  Barney)  laughed  heartily  at  my  em- 

12 


130  ^^-4  CKENRID  GE'S 

barrassment,  and  the  judge  was  no  doubt  more  amused 
than  offended.  I  never  think  of  this  violation  of  hiense- 
ance,  without  calling  to  mind  a  delicate  hint  once  given 
me  by  General  Wilkinson,  who  might  be  styled  the 
American  Chesterfield.  The  general,  happening  once  to 
recognize  me  in  a  ball-room,  or  being  told  by  some  one 
who  I  was,  came  up  to  me  where  I  was  seated,  and  took 
me  by  the  hand;  instead  of  rising,  as  was  proper  for  me 
to  do,  I  sat  still.  He  gave  me  a  gentle  squeeze  of  the 
hand,  at  the  same  time  lifting  it  up ;  the  hint  was  enough, 
I  sprang  upon  my  feet  and  stood  upright  before  him. 

To  return  to  my  adventure  at  Judge  Chace's:    Miss 
Mary  Chace,  either  to  indemnify  me  for  the  mortification 
just  experienced,  or  perhaps  for  the  sake  of  some  harm- 
less mischief,  informed  me  that  she  had  chosen  me  to  be 
her  beau  that  evening  to  a  party  given  by  Miss  Camp- 
bell.    I  thanked  her  for  the  honor  she  intended  me,  but 
observed  that  I  had  not  been  invited.     She  told  me  that 
made  no  difference;  that  it  was  the  custom  for  ladies  to 
introduce  the  gentlemen  who  accompanied  them  on  such 
occasions.     Seeing  that  I  was  fairly  entrapped,  I  asked 
leave  to  retire  for  an  hour,  in  order  to  make  my  toilet, 
and  on  my  way  home  put  myself  under  the  hands  of  a 
frizeur,  and  when  rigged  out  in  black  satin  inexpressibles, 
silk  stockings,  and   pumps,   became,  to  use   a  Western 
phrase,  quite  popular  ivith  myself.     I  felt  highly  de- 
lighted Avith  the  idea  of  escorting  the  celebrated  Mary 
Chace,  her  eye  sparkling  with  intelligence,  and  her  con- 
versation full  of  wit  and  sense,  envied  by  her  own  sex, 
and  feared  and  admired  by  the  other.     On  my  return  I 
handed  the  lady  into  the  carriage,  and  we  drove  to  Gay 
Street,  where  all  the  fashion  of  the  town  was  assembled 
that  evening.     I  shall  not  take  the  trouble  to  give  a  de- 
scription of  a  ball,  or  to  make  an  inventory  of  the  belles 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  131 

and  beaus.  It  is  sufficient  to  say,  that  Miss  Chace  in- 
troduced me  in  the  handsomest  manner  to  the  elegant 
lady  who  gave  the  party — to  the  Miss  Catons — who 
have  since  becorne  so  distinguished  on  a  much  more  mag- 
nificent theater  of  display,  and  to  many  others.  My  in- 
troduction to  Madame  Bonaparte,  the  wife  of  Jerome, 
may  be  noticed  separately.  All  eyes  were  directed  to- 
ward her  as  to  the  queen  of  the  evening,  as  she  stood 
leaning  upon  a  marble  slab  under  a  large  looking-glass, 
and  although  quite  small  and  delicate,  was  Tenus  her- 
self.* She  gave  a  gentle  inclination  of  the  head  as  I 
made  my  bow,  while  I  immediately  backed  my  topsails, 
filled  away,  and  fell  to  leeward.  From  that  evening  I 
was  regularly  invited  to  all  parties,  and  invitations  to 
dine  came  every  day;  being  thus  fairly  drawn  into  the 
vortex  of  dissipation. 

How  changed  is  Baltimore  since  then ;  changed  in  its 
manners,  its  hospitality,  its  wealth,  and  in  its  appear- 
ance. The  change  is  that  from  a  great  commercial  mart, 
full  of  enterprise,  speculation  and  adventure,  where  for- 
tunes were  accumulated  as  if  by  magic,  to  one  compara- 
tively of  sober,  orderly,  and  calculating  industry.  Her 
ports  were  then  filled  with  her  own  ships,  and  those  of 
the  few  neutral  nations  that  ventured  upon  the  ocean. 
Fell's  Point  was  crowded  with  seamen.  There  was  the 
carrying  trade,  the  West  India  trade,  including  importa- 
tions for  reshipment,  and  exports  unlimited.  There  was 
the  East  India  trade,  and  a  thousand  other  roads  of  en- 
terprise, which,  in  the  course  of  twenty-five  or  thirty 
years,  had  built  up  this  city  from  a  second-rate  village  to 
its  present   importance.      The  whole   of  that  immense 


^  I  met  her  thirty  years  afterward,  hut  how  changed!    She 
was  then  short  and  dumpy,  and  very  unlike  the  famous  statue. 


132  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

capital,  which  has  since  been  seeking  investment  in  facto- 
ries, turnpikes,  raih'oads  and  canals,  and  in  the  improve- 
ment of  real  estate,  was  then  in  constant  and  active 
circulation.  Colossal  fortunes  were  amassed  in  a  few 
years ;  the  Olivers,  the  Smiths,  the  Patersons,  rivaled 
the  ''  merchant  princes  of  Tyre"  in  their  fortunes,  and  in 
the  noble  palaces  which  rose  up,  for  the  gratification  of 
their  pride  and  pleasure,  as  if  by  means  of  the  lamp  of 
Aladdin. 

My  dissipation  did  not  grow  to  habits  of  intemperance, 
irregularity,  or  disregard  to  the  sober  plans  of  life.  There 
was  a  certain  uneasiness  and  dissatisfaction  in  my  feel- 
ings, arising  from  the  uncertainty  of  my  future  course, 
and  a  disappointment  in  the  object  which  had  brought  me 
to  the  city,  which  prevented  me  from  engaging  heartily 
in  the  passing  scenes.     My  mind  had  been  fixed  upon  a 
different  course  of  life ;  dancing  parties  and  coteries  soon 
became  insipid;  and  feasts,  to  one  who  was  neither  an 
epicure  nor  a  lover  of  the  bottle,  more  frequently  pro- 
duced disgust  than  pleasure.    Those  large  dinner  parties 
especially,  which  are  more  properly  feasts  than  social 
meetings,  where  there  is  no  conversation  except  the  most 
stupid  and  commonplace,  were  attended  more  for  the  sake 
of  observing  men  and  manners  than  for  any  enjoyment 
they  afforded.     Nothing  annoyed  me  so  much  as  to  be 
called  upon  for  a  song  or  a  story;  and  when  compelled,  in 
order  to  escape  ill-bred  miportunity,  to  render  myself  in 
this  way  ridiculous  in  my  own  estimation,  and  perhai)S 
in  that  of  others,  it  always  affected  my  spirits.     Unfor- 
tunately I  had  a  talent  for  telling  a  story,  and  could  set 
the  table  in  a  roar,  when  my  own  feelings  were  often 
those  of  disgust  or  indignation.     The  practice  of  drink- 
ing healths,  with  tlie  usual  address,  "the  pleasure  of  a 
glass  of  wine  with  you,  sir,"  was  particularly  disagree- 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  I33 

able  to  me.  I  was  fond  of  society,  and  even  of  the  con- 
vivial board ;  but  when  the  latter  was  not  too  large  for 
conversation,  where  the  guests  were  properly  assorted, 
and  where  every  one  was  at  liberty  to  eat  or  drink  as  he 
pleased.  The  French  understand  this  matter  ;  their  din- 
ners are  not  large,  and  they  are  careful  in  the  selection  of 
their  guests  to  avoid  mingling  discordant  materials,  fol- 
lowing the  classical  receipt  for  making  a  nosegay.  I  had 
the  misfortune  on  one  occasion,  when  harassed  to  do  or 
say  something  for  the  amusement  of  the  company,  to  take 
it  into  my  head  to  give  the  celebrated  speech  of  Logan  in 
the  original  Indian.  What  was  still  more  unfortunate, 
my  Indian  happened  to  take  wonderfully,  and  as  long  as 
I  remained  in  the  city  it  was  a  continual  tax  upon  me,  at 
the  same  time  that  it  probably  procured  me  numerous  in- 
vitations which  I  should  not  otherwise  have  received. 
It  is  true,  I  had  heard  the  speech  recited  by  General 
Gibson,  by  whom  it  was  taken  from  Logan  and  delivered 
to  Lord  Dunmore,  but  I  only  recollected  a  few  words  of 
it ;  the  rest  was  an  imitation  of  the  sounds,  with  which 
I  used  to  amuse  my  playfellows  when  a  boy. 

I  formed  some  acquaintances,  however,  whose  society 
was  truly  delightful;  the  most  intimate  was  with  Mr. 
John  M 'Henry,  a  young  lawyer,  who  had  been  abroad  as 
secretary  to  our  minister,  Mr.  Murray,  one  of  my  father's 
pupils,  of  whom  he  used  to  speak  with  a  kind  of  pride 
similar  to  that  of  Professor  Porson.  Mr.  M'Henry  was 
not  in  practice,  although  he  kept  his  office,  but  was  en- 
gaged in  preparing  reports  of  cases  in  the  court  of  ap- 
peals, since  published.  He  was  a  most  intelligent  man, 
and  as  amiable  and  as  innocent  as  a  child.  This  intimacy 
made  me  acquainted,  I  may  say  almost  domiciliated,  at 
his  uncle's.  Dr.  M'Henry,  Secretary  at  AVar  under  General 
Washington.     The  doctor  was  easy  in  his  circumstances, 

12* 


1 3  4  J^RA  CKENRID  GE'S 

had  a  fine  library,  and  was  an  ardent  lover  of  letters.  I 
was  also  intimate  at  the  house  of  General  Strieker,  a  revo- 
lutionary officer,  a  man  of  strong  intellect,  of  a  generous 
character,  and  of  a  noble  and  soldierly  appearance.  These 
two  houses  Avere  my  chief  places  of  refuge  when  I  felt 
myself  in  the  world  alone  and  solitary,  and  when  my  star 
seemed  to  be  dimmed  by  clouds  and  darkness.  I  loved 
to  walk  the  street  for  the  purpose  of  studying  characters, 
and  have  paced  up  and  down  for  half  a  day,  making  many 
curious  observations,  which  would  have  filled  volumes  if 
I  had  taken  the  trouble  to  record  them.  I  was  not  ex- 
actly one  of  those,  in  the  words  of  Cowper,  "whom  the 
world  calls  idle,"  but  I  was  not  engaged  in  business  of 
any  kind.  A  law  society,  of  which  I  was  a  member,  met 
at  the  office  of  Luther  Martin,  who  had  several  students, 
and  among  them  Mr.  Richard  Magruder,  now  an  eminent 
lawyer  in  Baltimore,  and  one  of  the  best  and  most  sincere 
friends  I  ever  had.  Mr.  Heath,  and  Mr.  Maxcy,  now 
Solicitor  of  the  Treasury  of  the  United  States,  were  dis- 
tinguished members  of  the  club. 

The  county  and  criminal  courts  sat  in  the  old  court- 
bouse,  which  had  stood  on  a  hill  or  mound,  but  in  level- 
ing the  streets  it  had  been  found  necessary  to  go  below 
it  some  fifteen  or  twenty  feet,  and  an  ingenious  mechanic 
had  contrived  to  prop  it  up  by  arches  underneath,  so  that 
it  was  now  raised  up  on  stilts,  which  rendered  the  old 
building  still  more  ugly  and  mean  in  appearance.     The 
monument  now  occupies  its    place.      When    filled  with 
people  it  was  often  the  cause  of  alarm,  and  certainly  not 
without  reason.     One  day,  when  unusually  crowded,  a 
German  merchant  of  great  respectability,  of  large  stature 
and  coarse  voice,  rose  up  and  said,  in  a  slow,  deliberate 
manner,  "May  it  please  de  court,  I  tink  dere  is  de  most 
imminent  danger ;  de  sthofe  pipe  has  sunk  very  conshider- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  135 

ably."     Suave  qui  peut  became  the  order  of  the  day; 
spectators,  witnesses,    parties,    lawyers,   bailiffs,  judges, 
went  pell-mell,  tumblin<,^  over  each  other,  into  the  street. 
One  of  my  most  intimate  friends  was  Mr.  James  Sloan, 
the  son  of  an  extensive  manufacturer  of  boots,  and  shoes, 
who  accumulated  a  handsome  fortune,  principally  from 
shipments  to  the  West  Indies.    His  father  lived  in  a  house 
that,  in  point  of  elegance,  might  vie  with  the  palaces  of 
the  Baltimore  medici ;  and  feeling  the  want  of  education 
himself,  spared  no  pains  or  expense  on  that  of  his  son, 
which  was  fully  seconded  by  the  fine  natural  parts,  and 
devotion  to  letters,  and  elegant  accomplishments  of  young 
Sloan.     I  thought  him  decidedly  the  most  accomplished 
young  man  I  had  met  with  in  the  city,  both  as  to  his  mind 
and  manners.     He  was  a  graduate  of  Princeton,  but  this 
he  had  considered  as  the  mere  commencement  of  his  edu- 
cation, which  he  followed  up  by  the  assistance  of  private 
tutors,  and  his  own  unremitted  application.     He  spoke 
the  French  and  Italian  with  perfect  ease,  and  even  ele- 
gance, and  had  at  his  finger  ends  the  works  of  Alfieri, 
Goldoni,  Ariosto,  Tasso,  Dante,  and  other  classics  in  that 
elegant  language.      He  was  then  learning  the  Spanish 
with  the  assistance  of  a  Catholic  priest.     I  was  among 
the  few  he  was  willing  to  see  in  the  forenoon,  which  was 
dedicated  by  him  to  study,  in  his  handsome  suite  of  apart- 
ments, where  he  had  a  splendid  library.    We  used  to  walk 
up  and  down  these  rooms  for  hours,  discoursing  on  all 
subjects  as  they  suggested  themselves.     "The  Pursuits 
of  Literature"  w^as  his  favorite  book,  and  the  gorgeous 
style  of  Bolingbroke  appeared  to  be  his  model.     His  edu- 
cation was  not  suited  to  this  country,  or  to  any  of  the 
professions  which  must  be  pursued  for  a  livelihood.     It 
was  that  of  a  young  gentleman  of  fortune,  who  had  no 
other   aim  than   to  display  elegant  accomplishments  of 


136  ^^-4  CKEXRID  GE'S 

mind  and  person.  His  fate  was  unfortunate;  lie  died 
under  thirty,  after  making  the  tour  of  Europe.  His  work, 
entitled  "Rambles  in  Italy,"  has  been  neglected.  It  is 
written  with  uncommon  elegance,  and  shows  a  profound 
knowledge  of  the  Italian  classics,  very  different  from  those 
travelers  who  sprinkle  a  scrap  here  and  there,  in  order  to 
display  their  literary  cockscombery.  His  book  was  not 
w^ell  received  by  some  of  our  reviewers,  and  the  fashion 
being  set,  it  fell  almost  "dead  born  from  the  press." 

Mr.  Robert  Walsh,  who  was  spoken  of  as  the  most 
promising  young  man  of  Baltimore,  was  at  this  time  in 
England.  I  read  with  admiration  his  wonderful  produc- 
tion, the  letter  "  On  the  Genius  of  the  French  Govern- 
ment," which  gave  my  mind  a  new  direction,  that  is,  to 
statistical  studies.  I  had  not  the  pleasure  of  a  personal 
acquaintance  with  him  until  some  years  afterward.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  considered  at  the  head  of  the  litera- 
ture of  the  United  States.  His  mind  was  of  a  very  dif- 
ferent order  from  that  of  Sloan  ;  it  was  one  which  could 
cause  itself  to  be  felt  in  "  the  business  and  bosoms  of 
men,"  and  but  for  a  defect  of  hearing,  he  would  have  as- 
sumed the  first  rank  among  the  advocates  of  this  country, 
without  the  trouble  of  working  his  way  by  means  of  a 
docket  and  clientele. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  I37 


CHAPTER     XVt 

The  Bar  of  Baltimore  Twenty  Years  ago — Political  Excite- 
ments— The  Author  hears  of  a  place  with  but  one  Lawyer, 
and  immediately  resolves  to  set  out  for  it. 

The  reader  may  feel  a  wish  to  read  what  I  may  have 
to  say  of  the  bar  of  Baltimore  at  the  period  to  which  qiy 
narrative  refers.*  Mr.  Pinkney  was  then  in  Europe;  it 
was  not  until  my  second  residence  in  Baltimore  that  I 
became  acquainted  with  him.  General  Harper,  although 
inferior  to  Luther  Martin,  and  perhaps  several  others,  as 
a  mere  lawyer,  was,  notwithstanding,  generally  considered 
as  the  head  of  the  profession.  In  the  admiralty  court  he 
was  unrivaled ;  there  his  political  information  and  general 
knowledge  had  a  field  for  display,  while  his  mind  was  not 
cramped  by  that  technicality  and  dry  precision  which  was 
necessary  in  the  courts  of  common  law.  He  was  by  no 
means  a  thorough-bred,  acute,  discriminating  lawyer — 
his  oratory  had  been  formed  in  Congress,  where  he  had 
figured  for  several  years  before  he  came  to  Baltimore,  in 
order  to  attempt  the  profession,  and  for  some  time  with 
poor  success.  He  was  an  elegant  debater;  a  finished 
scholar,  with  a  mind  stored  with  various  reading,  and  per- 
fect command  of  language  ;  but  his  manner  was  not  of 
that  earnest,  vehement  kind,  which  is  most  popular  at 
the  bar.  His  deportment  and  manners  were  those  of  a 
dignified  gentleman,  his  bust  and  features  extremely  fine, 
and  if  I  may  so  express  it,  a  Vantique.  I  was  honored 
with  the  personal  acquaintance  of  General  Harper,  as  far 
as  one  of  my  age  could  possess  it,  and  my  feelings  were 

*  1808. 


138  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

those  of  great  respect,  notwithstanding  the  continual 
abuse  that  was  poured  upon  him  by  the  presses  of  the 
party  to  which  I  belonged. 

Luther  Martin  was  a  being  sui  genejns.  In  his  ap- 
pearance there  could  be  nothing  more  common.  His 
dress  was  generally  filthy  and  vulgar,  while  his  counte- 
nance indicated  nothing  beyond  mere  mediocrity.  His 
voice  was  thick  and  disagreeable,  his  language  and  pro- 
nunciation rude  and  uncouth.  With  all  these  defects  he 
possessed  extraordinary  powers.  He  had  the  finest  ca- 
pacity for  discrimination  and  analysis,  the  faculty  which, 
perhaps  more  than  any  other,  distinguishes  the  lawyer. 
He  had  also  wit,  philosophy,  a  prodigious  memory,  and 
stores  of  learning,  which  were  unsuspected  until  the  oc- 
casion called  for  their  display.  On  thedifi"erent  occasions 
on  which  I  have  heard  him  speak,  he  seemed  to  blunder 
along  for  an  hour  or  two,  as  if  he  were  merely  medita- 
ting his  subject,  which  was  perhaps  the  case,  for  nothing 
could  be  more  confused  and  obscure.  It  was  in  his  re- 
capitulation that  he  appeared  to  be  great.  He  became 
warm,  his  language  more  happy,  his  leaden  eye  seemed  to 
kindle,  and  for  fifteen  minutes  or  half  an  hour  he  spoke 
with  admirable  force  and  power.  This  would  probably 
have  been  his  speech  if  he  had  prepared  himself  in  his 
closet.  But  his  usual  preparation  was  drinking  enor- 
mous quantities  of  brandy.  For  twenty  or  thirty  years 
he  was  a  perfect  sot,  and  it  is  wonderful  how  both  his 
constitution  and  intellect  could  withstand  the  destructive 
habit.  I  was  informed  by  a  friend  that  his  masterly  de- 
fense of  Judge  Chace,  which  is,  perhaps  the  finest  speci- 
men of  forensic  eloquence  preserved  in  this  country,  was 
written  after  it  was  delivered,  with  an  eye  to  his  fame, 
and  thus  reduced  to  its  quintessence. 

Among  the  younger  advocates,  Mr.  Winder  was  de- 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  139 

cidedly  the  most  popular.     He  would  have  been  a  Cicero 
if  he  had  been  properly  educated  and  trained  in  the  arts 
of  the   orator.     But  he  was  not  sufficiently  imbued  with 
literature,  learning,  or  philosophy.      His  language  and 
taste  wanted    cultivation,   and    his   imagination    needed 
that  kind  of   elevation  which   the    study  of   the  poets 
would  have  given.     He  was  little  better  than  a  first-rate 
slang-wh anger,  with  natural  powers  that  would  have  ren- 
dered him  a  prodigy  of  eloquence.     The  form  of  his  feat- 
ures was  Roman,  but  his  eyes  and  eyebrows  were  light 
and  unexpressive.      His  person  was  that  of  an  Apollo. 
Nothing  could  be  more  vehement  than  his  manner ;  his 
voice  was  strained  to  its  highest  pitch,  and  his  person 
thrown  into  a  thousand  elegant  distortions.     It  is  not 
this  kind  of  muscular  effort  which   makes  the  animated 
speaker,    who     kindles    the    passions   of    his     hearers. 
Speeches  delivered  in  a  fury,  when  read  in  the  closet 
may  appear  cold  and  dull.     The  thought  must  be  anima- 
ted as  well  as  the  gesture      Mr.  Winder  was  by  no  means 
a  ranting  declaimer,  but  his  manner  was  too  uniformly 
vehement.     He  lived  to  improve  it ;  and  if  his  career  had 
not  been  cut  short  almost  in  the  prime  of  life,  he  would 
have  risen  to  great  eminence.     In  private  life  he  was  a 
noble  fellow,  his  heart  was  as  big  as  a  mountain.     His 
military  career  was  unfortunate — his  defense  of  Wash- 
ington has-  been  censured,  but  the  fault  was  that  which 
he  displayed  at  the   bar — too  much  vivacity,  too  mer- 
curial— he  wished  to  be  vedette,  aid,  soldier,  corporal,  as 
well  as  general,  instead  of  being   the  stationary  pivot 
upon  which  everything  ought  to  have  turned. 

If  Mr.  Winder  might  have  been  the  Cicero  of  this  coun- 
try, Mr.  Jennings  may  be  regarded  as  the  American  De- 
mosthenes— spoiled  at  least  in  the  attainment  of  the  fame 
which  generally  follows  the  display  of  extraordinary  gifts. 


1 40  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

He  was  the  son  of  a  celebrated  orator  of  that  name  who 
flourished  before  the  revolution.  Mr.  Jennings  was  then 
turned  of  forty;  and  his  talents  were  brought  into  sudden 
and  unexpected  display  by  the  appointment  of  public 
prosecutor  for  Baltimore.  He  had  not  been  suspected  of 
possessing  uncommon  eloquence.  His  life  had  passed  in 
the  ga}^  and  elegant  society  of  Annapolis,  and  he  was  re- 
garded as  a  young  man  of  fashion  and  pleasure.  He  had 
studied  in  the  Temple,  and  had  made  the  tour  of  Europe 
like  Goldsmith  on  foot.  His  person,  somewhat  below  the 
ordinary  size,  was  of  the  most  perfect  symmetry,  and  his 
dress  peculiarly  neat  and  tasteful.  His  head  was  uncom- 
monly fine;  it  might  pass  for  a  copy  of  that  which  is 
generally  considered  the  head  of  the  great  orator  of  Greece 
— the  rounded  compact  head  and  full  forehead,  like  that 
of  Napoleon  and  Alexander  Hamilton,  and  the  large 
muscular  upper  lip,  considered  by  Lavater  as  the  mark 
of  the  orator,  which  is  so  conspicuous  in  Mr.  Clu}',  and 
which  I  have  observed  to  be  an  almost  invariable  prog- 
nostic. The  brilliancy  of  his  first  displays  in  Baltimore 
would  have  enabled  Mr.  Jennings  to  have  leaped  at  once 
to  the  first  rank  in  his  profession,  and  he  would  have  been 
the  orator  with  whom  Pinkney  would  have  had  to  grap- 
ple on  his  return  to  this  country.  From  some  cause  or 
other  he  did  not  seize  the  opportunity  presented  to  him. 
His  speech  against  Baptist  Irvine  is  generally  conceded 
to  be  the  finest  forensic  display  ever  witnessed  in  Balti- 
more. He  occupied  five  hours  in  the  delivery,  and  held 
his  audience  enchained.  In  the  course  of  it  he  thrice 
drew  an  involuntaiy  burst  of  ai)plause  from  the  whole 
audience,  similar  to- those  by  Curran  on  the  trial  of  Fin- 
erty.     The  speech  was  not  preserved. 

Mr.  Purviance  was  a  perfect  model  of  a  practicing  law- 
yer.    One  who  was  desirous  of  exhibiting  the  favorable 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  141 

side  of  bis  profession  might  point  to  Mr.  Purviance. 
Well  read  in  the  law,  almost  to  a  fault,  his  duty  as  an 
attorney  and  advocate  was  performed  with  a  degree  of 
fidelity  to  the  "client  as  well  as  to  the  court,"  and  I  may 
add,  to  his  conscience — as  if  the  oath  were  continually 
present  to  his  mind.  He  had  the  most  extensive  docket 
of  any  one  in  practice,  and  was  engaged  in  almost  every 
cause  of  importance.  He  spoke  well;  was  perfectly 
master  of  his  subject;  and  neglected  nothing  which  his 
duty  required.  His  character  was  truly  estimable  in 
public  and  in  private. 

I  might  make  a  book  if  I  were  to  give  the  characters 
of  all  the  members  of  the  bar.  Few  of  them,  I  have 
already  observed,  were  in  full  business.  Mr.  Kell,  Mr. 
Gwynn,  Mr.  Boyd,  Mr.  Donaldson  and  Mr.  M'Meckin 
ruled  the  roast  in  the  different  courts. 

The  difficulty  of  success  in  the  profession  is  strongly 
exemplified  in  the  case  of  Winder,  as  he  related  it  to  me 
himself.  After  practicing  with  flattering  success  on  the 
eastern  shore  of  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  he  was  tempted  to 
try  his  fortune  in  Baltimore.  After  remaining  here  nearly 
three  years,  and  expending  the  little  money  he  had  made, 
and  having  during  that  time  received  but  thirty  dollars, 
he' resolved  to  return  w^hence  he  came,  and  actually  placed 
his  movables  on  board  a  sloop,  and  was  about  to  embark 
with  his  family,  when  a  friend  was  elected  sheriff,  and 
persuaded  him  to  try  it  awhile  longer.  This  friend  en- 
abled him  to  get  a  docket  and  clientele,  and  then  came 
repeated  opportunities  of  display;  and  this  established 
his  reputation,  which  could  not  have  been  done  by  half  a 
dozen  speeches,  however  brilliant.  Mr.  Rodney  informed 
me  that  Wells,  who  died  a  few  years  ago  at  the  head  of 
the  New  York  bar,  tried  the  profession  seven  years  in 
Philadelphia  without  being  able  to  pay  his  otlice  rent. 

13 


]  4  2  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

He  probably  attempted  to  get  business  without  a  docket 
or  clientele,  and  found  himself  in  the  dilemma  I  have  de- 
scribed. It  must  be  noted  that  in  this  country  the  bar- 
rister and  attorney  are  united  in  the  same  person.  It 
was  necessary  to  liave  business  to  get  business,  and  it 
was  necessary  to  get  business  to  have  business.  Those 
who  think  to  get  forward  by  mere  dint  of  oratory  rarely 
succeed,  unless,  from  some  cause  or  other,  great  reputa- 
tion has  preceded  them  to  the  bar.  They  are  like  a  ma- 
son who  would  begin  at  the  top  to  build  a  chimney.  The 
young  lawyer  must  have  the  patience  of  the  angler — he 
must  watch  the  nibble ;  be  content  with  his  little  string 
of  minnows  before  he  can  expect  to  find  larger  fish  on  his 
hooks. 

Political  excitement  was  at  this  period  very  high.  Tl^e 
Embargo  had  been  laid,  and  all  commercial  enterprise  and 
pursuits  suddenly  arrested.  Thousands  of  persons  were 
thus  suddenly  thrown  out  of  employment,  and  ships  lay 
rotting  at  the  wharves.  As  I  was  of  the  Jefferson  school 
of  politics,  I  of  course  thought  it  all  right,  and  was  neither 
competent  nor  disposed  to  judge  for  myself  as  to  the  con- 
stitutionality or  policy  of  the  measure.  Its  repeal  seemed 
to  prove  that  it  had  failed  to  produce  the  eff"ect  intended ; 
but  our  commerce  had  in  the  mean  time  received  a  death- 
blow, whereas  it  might  have  struggled  for  some  years 
longer  under  the  many  disadvantages  under  which  it  la- 
bored. If  the  peace  of  Europe  could  have  been  foreseen, 
which  put  an  end  to  the  carrying  trade,  it  might  have 
been  well  to  have  made  preparations  in  time  for  a  change 
of  circumstances  and  the  rivalry  of  other  nations.  The 
constitutionality  of  the  law  was  questionable — the  power 
to  regulate  commerce  or  provide  for  the  common  defense 
could  not,  without  a  great  latitude  of  construction,  author- 
ize the  putting  an  end  to  commerce  altogether  for  an  in- 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  143 

definite  period.  If  the  policy  of  incidental  protection  to 
American  industry,  by  the  regulation  of  imports,  is  a 
questionable  power,  this  was  much  more  so.  But  it  orig- 
inated with  Jefferson — the  idol  of  our  political  faith — 
and  we  thought  it  all  right. 

I  witnessed,  for  the  first  time,  what  is  called  a  barbecue, 
an  assemblage  of  the  people  for  the  purpose  of  giving  ex- 
pression to  political  opinion.  This  took  place  in  a  grove 
about  two  miles  to  the  east  of  the  town.  Here  an  ox 
was  roasted  whole,  while  hillocks  of  bread,  and  barrels 
of  whisky  and  beer  were  placed  under  the  shade  of  the 
trees.  The  swilling  of  the  liquor,  and  the  pulling  and 
tearing  of  the  half  raw  beef,  would  have  done  honor  to  a 
feast  of  Abyssinians.  The  people  were  addressed  by 
General  Smith,  a  tall,  fine-looking  man,  with  a  strong 
clear  voice  well  suited  to  field  oratory  ;  and  in  a  strain 
well  adapted  to  please  the  audience,  who  frequently  in- 
terrupted him  by  shouts  of  applause.  It  was  a  defense 
of  the  embargo,  and  of  the  administration  generally,  with 
a  long  detail  of  the  injuries  experienced  from  Great  Britain. 
The  speech  was  not  without  some  strokes  of  unpolished 
eloquence,  exhibiting  the  natural  talents  of  the  orator,  who 
was  unrivaled  on  the  stumj).  The  term  stump  oratory  is 
probably  derived  from  the  practice  in  early  times  of  speak- 
ing from  a  stump  or  log  of  wood  ;  instead  of  a  temporary 
scaffold,  or  tribune,  such  as  that  provided  on  this  occa- 
sion. I  cannot  say  that  I  entered  heartily  into  the  feel- 
ings of  those  who  formed  this  assemblage  ;  my  habits  of 
inquiry  and  reflection  rather  led  me  to  make  unfavorable 
conclusions  from  what  I  saw  and  heard.  One  idea  of  the 
orator,  which  was  received  with  thunders  of  applau.se, 
appeared  to  me  nothing  more  than  a  figure  of  rhetoric,  a 
mere  antithesis,  without  any  soundness  of.  reasoning. 
AUudino;  to  the  entire  stagnation  of  commerce,  and  the 


144  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

decay  of  our  ships  and  cargoes  in  port,  he  said,  it  was 
"better  to  ct?/  over  than  to  cry  after  them."  Will  the 
argument  intended  to  be  conveyed  in  this  figure  bear  a 
dispassionate  and  candid  investigation  ?  I  think  it  will 
not. 

We,  the  people,  are  often  courted  and  flattered  by  those 
who  despise  us.  Why  is  the  monarch  flattered?  It  is 
on  account  of  the  power  he  possesses.  Why  do  men  dig 
into  the  bowels  of  the  vile  earth  ?  It  is  for  the  sake  of 
the  gem  or  the  metal  they  expect  to  find  there.  The 
demagogue,  the  courtier  of  the  people,  flatters  them  to 
obtain  the  possession  of  their  scepter,  in  order  to  use  it  for 
his  own  purposes.  He  no  more  loves  the  people  than 
the  courtier  loves  the  monarch  ;  it  is  the  power — the 
power  that  is  worshiped — it  is  this — which  is  sought  to 
be  used  for  the  profit  of  the  actual  possessor.  When  will 
the  people  awake  to  a  true  knowledge  of  the  design  of  the 
demagogue  ?  When  they  shall  become  enlightened  ;  and 
when  they  shall  be  convinced,  that  of  all  their  enemies, 
the  demagogue,  professing  exclusive  patriotism,  and  ex- 
travagant love  for  them,  is  the  most  to  be  distrusted. 

Another  political  exhibition  which  I  witnessed  filled 
me  with  disgust  and  even  horror.  This  was  the  burning 
of  the  gin  on  a  hill  to  the  east  of  the  city.  The  gin  had 
been  imported  under  a  British  license ;  it  was  purchased 
by  subscriptions,  and  condemned  to  form  a  bonfire.  The 
casks  which  contained  it  were  piled  up,  and  then  sur- 
rounded with  tar-barrels  and  other  combustible  materials. 
The  casks  soon  burst,  and  the  liquor  ran  out  in  blazing 
streams,  like  the  lava  of  a  volcano,  and  in  some  places 
stood  in  puddles  or  ponds.  The  dregs  of  Fell's  Point, 
and  of  the  town,  were  gathered  in  a  short  time,  and  might 
be  seen  endeavoring  to  appropriate  the  liquor  in  such 
vessels  as   they  could  hastily  procure.     I  actually  saw 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  145 

some  of  them  prostrate  on  the  gTound,  doing  reverence 
to  their  deity,  and  the  whole  exhibiting  a  scene  which 
might  have  heightened  the  imaginations  of  Milton  or 
Dante.  The  blaze  of  the  burning  liquid  shed  its  light 
over  the  city,  occasioning  sad  reflections  to  some,  while 
others  danced  with  joy.  Crowds  of  idle  sailors  and 
drunken  vaorabonds  filled  the  streets :  and  this  was  the 
commencement  of  those  unhappy  scenes  which  took  place 
after  I  had  left  the  city.  It  was  the  natural  fermentation 
of  a  mass  of  idle  people,  deprived  of  their  usual  employ- 
ments, discontented  and  restless,  goaded  almost  to  mad- 
ness, and  willing  to  vent  their  fury  upon  anything  in  their 
way. 

I  was  introduced  to  a  sort  of  Jacobin  club,  where  Bap- 
tist Irvine  was  the  principal  personage.  He  would  have 
rivaled  Santerre  or  Danton.  I  was  heartily  disgusted 
with  the  low  and  illiberal  ideas,  and  the  merciless  cruelty 
of  this  priest  of  Democracy.  Nothing  could  be  more  in- 
tolerant and  mercenary  than  the  greater  part  of  this 
society,  let  them  call  themselves  Federalists,  Democrats, 
what  they  please.  What  a  blessing  it  would  be  to  the 
people  if  they  could  only  look  behind  the  curtain  and  see 
the  motives  of  these  vile  party  jugglers  and  swindlers! 
How  their  pride  would  be  mortified  to  find  themselves 
used  as  the  instrunients  of  the  vilest  of  men,  for  the  most 
sordid  purposes ;  while  they  believe  they  are  rewarding 
by  their  confidence  the  most  sincere  patriots — their 
"  countrymen  and  lovers."  The  remedy  is  with  the  people 
themselves.  The  remedy  must  be  by  setting  their  faces 
against  all  combinations,  or  clubs,  or  organized  party 
schemes.  Elections  ought  to  be  the  spontaneous  act  of 
the  people,  no  man  should  dare  to  influence  their  choice, 
under  the  pretense  of  giving  them  correct  information, 
and  keeping  them  in  the  ranks  of  a  party,  or  rather  of  a 

TV* 

1  'J 


146  '  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

faction.  I  was  once  unfriendly  to  the  extension  of  pop- 
ular elections  to  all  offices.  My  opinion  has  changed. 
If  offices  are  to  be  distributed  as  party  rewards,  let  them 
be  at  the  disposal  of  the  sovereign,  the  people,  instead  of 
being  the  perquisites  of  successful  leaders  and  their  fol- 
lowers, and  their  infamous  clubs.  If  the  power  of  elec- 
tions is  to  be  abused,  let  it  be  by  those  who  have  a  right 
to  abuse  it.  In  short,  the  coi^ruption  of  the  times  rendet^s 
it  necessary  that  all  offices  should  be  iinmediately  filled 
by  the  people,  or  their  salaries  so  reduced  as  to  cease  to 
be  the  objects  of  political  scrambles. 

The  time  had  arrived  for  me  to  take  leave  of  Baltimore. 
I  might  have  remained  some  time  longer,  but,  falling  in 
with  a  Western  man,  he  informed  me  that  there  was  but 
one  Pennsylvania  lawyer  in  the  town  and  county  of  Som- 
erset, where  he  lived.  There  had  been  three,  but  one 
was  made  a  judge,  and  the  other  had  fallen  a  victim  to 
intemperance.  A  place  with  but  one  lawyer,  on  the  road 
to  the  West,  on  the  summit  of  the  Alleghanies !  This 
was  too  tempting  to  be  rejected.  In  a  week  I  was  pre- 
pared to  take  my  departure,  and  in  a  week  more  was  in 
Somerset.  My  failure  in  Baltimore  was  painful  to  me, 
on  account  of  the  mortification  it  would  give  my  father. 
I  should  otherwise  have  rejoiced  at  my  escape  from 
scenes  of  which  I  had  become  heartily  tired.  I  had,  be- 
sides, an  uncle  there — Mr.  Reed,  a  farmer,  and  grand- 
father of  Judge  Black,  since  of  the  Supreme  Court. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  I47 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

The  xVuthor  surveys  the  New  Scene  of  Action — Begins  a  Pro- 
fessional Career — Useful  Hints  to  Young  Lawyers. 

The  next  morning  I  put  on  ray  best  suit,  and  strutted 
on  the  pavement  l)efore  the  tavern-door.  In  a  short  time 
the  no  longer  sole  lawyer  of  the  place  made  his  appearance 
also,  before  the  opposition  tavern,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
way.  Like  chanticleer,  prompted  by  instinct,  he  felt  bis 
empire  invaded,  at  least  insulted,  by  the  proximity  of  a 
rival  bird,  and  made  ready  to  crow  defiance.  In  the 
course  of  the  forenoon,  however,  he  politely  called  upon 
me,  with  many  offers  of  friendly  assistance,  information 
and  good  will  :  perhaps  more  sincere  than  the  professions 
of  a  rival  belle ;  for  two  lawyers  in  a  place  are  in  some 
measure  necessary,  if  not  for  the  breed  of  lawyers,  at 
least  for  the  breeding  of  lawsuits. 

My  antagonist,  rival,  or  rather  opponent,  gave  me  to 
understand  that  the  business  of  the  county  was  but  small, 
and  that  the  best,  or  most  lucrative,  was  monopolized  by 
himself;  such  as  that  of  collecting  debts,  stating  accounts 
in  the  orphan's  jcourt  for  executors  and  administrators, 
presenting  petitions  for  roads  and  tavern  licenses  in  the 
quarter  sessions.  There  would  be  little  left  for  me  ex- 
cept the  appearances  in  civil  suits,  and  the  defense  of 
persons  indicted,  with  a  little  occasional  conveyancing. 
But  I,  who  had  Demosthenes  and  Cicero,  Curran,  Mar- 
tin, Ross  and  Harper  in  my  head,  and  was  more  pleased 
with  the  tropes  and  figures  of  the  imagination  than  with 


148  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

the  figures  of  arithmetic ;  who  thought  of  nothing  but 
occasions  and  opportunities  for  displayiug  the  orator,  was 
well  satisfied  with  the  portion  of  the  practice  which  fell 
to  mj  share ;  and  was  perfectly  willing  to  leave  to  him 
the  more  lucrative  rdZe  of  the  attorney,  in  order  to  be  the 
Cicero  of  the  place,  for  which  he  did  not  care  a  farthing. 
He  hinted,  with  some  self-complacency,  that  he  hooked 
about  five  hundred  dollars  a  year ;  of  course  I  must  be 
content  with  a  much  smaller  sum.     This  I  could  much 
more  readily  do  than  get  over  the  shock  occasioned  to  me 
by  the  use  of  such  a  word  as  hooked  in  connection  with 
the  liberal  profession  of  the  law,  which  is  iwesumed  to 
lend  its  aid  to  the  distressed,  in  the  spirit  of  chivalry, 
without  fee  or  reward ;  or  if  anything  is  accepted,  it  is 
merely  quiddam  honorarium,  and  not  for  the  mere  "lucre 
of  gain  "     In  the  course  of^  time  I  was  cured  of  this 
romantic  folly  and  presumption.     I  found  it  would  not 
do  to  look  only  into  the  clouds — there  were  things  at  my 
feet  which  also  claimed  attention ;  in  other  words,  he  that 
aspires  to  climb  must  not  disdain  the  humble  helps  which 
are  necessary  to  his  elevation.     The  young  lawyer  should 
think  more  of  picking  up  his  crumbs  than  of  soaring  like 
a  balloon.     He  must  be  content  to  become  a  hudness 
man,  and  leave  the  rest  to  fortune.     If  he  possess  the 
gift  of  the  orator,  this  course  will  afford  the  opportunity, 
indue  season,  of  enabling  him  to  bring  it  forth;  if  he 
have  it  not,  all  the  oratorical  aspirations  imaginable  will 
not  procure  it.     I  speak  from  my  own  experience,  from  a 
knowledge  of  the  shoals  and  quicksands  I  encountered, 
and  not  from  any  feeling  of  disappointment.     That  I  did 
not  take  a  permanent  stand  as  an  orator  at  the  bar,  was 
owing  to  my  dislike  to  the  routine  of  business.     I  may 
safely  use  the  words  of  the  old  metrical  "last  will  and 
testament:" 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  149 

"Sound  in  memory  and  mind, 
And  to  hip  not  inclined." 

I  give  and  bequeath  it  as  my  last  advice  to  the  young 
lawyer  and  attorney,  to  be  diligent  in  his  business — this 
being  as  necessary  in  his  as  in  that  of  the  shoemaker  or 
barber. 

On  the  same  day,  not  entirely  regardless  of  worldly 
economy,  I  looked  over  my  wardrobe,  and  picked  out 
sundry  garments  which  had  been  condemned  as  unfit  for 
city  use,  although  not  a  great  deal  the  worse,  and  took 
them  to  one  skilled  in  the  subject-matter,  according  to  the 
law  maxim,  cuique  sui  perito  credttur  arte.  Although 
my  prospects  appeared  to  be  good,  at  least  in  one  sense, 
beinAnow  on  the  summit  of  the  mountains;  yet,  the 
oppominity  of  wearing  out  my  old  clothes  was  not  to  be 
despised.  After  depositing  such  articles  as  required 
sastrical  advice  and  assistance,  I  continued  my  walk  to 
the  outskirts  of  the  town.  The  street  in  a  short  distance 
became  a  lane,  with  a  fence  on  each  side.  A  rapid  mount- 
ain stream  brought  me  up ;  the  opposite  side  presenting 
a  forest  of  gloomy  pines,  with  close  thickets  and  under- 
growth, and  probably  inhabited  by  snakes.  Finding  here 
a  good  place  for  declamation,  and  fancying  myself  in  the 
presence  of  a  splendid  audience, 

"Concedere  duces  et  vulgi  stante  corona," 

I  gradually  raised  my  voice  to  its  highest  pitch,  and  did 
not  perceive  my  mistake  until  I  had  alarmed  half  the 
village,  and  was  about  to  have  the  vulgi  stante  corona  in 
earnest.  My  tailor  and  his  journeyman  led  the  van,  run- 
ning toward  me  as  fast  as  their  legs  would  carry  them, 
actuated  perhaps  as  much  by  interested  motives  as  by 
humanity.     Finding  myself  in  this  ludicrous  situation,  I 


150  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

had  the  presence  of  mind  to  turn  my  orator}^  into  a  song, 
and  gave  ''Hail  Cohimbia,  happy  land!"  in  a  style  not 
unworthy  of  the  Fourth  of  July,  at  the  same  time  boldly 
advancing  to  meet  the  posse.  On  seeing  this,  they  stood 
still  a  few  moments,  then  leisurely  turned  on  their  steps, 
ever  and  anon  looking  back  over  their  shoulders.  The 
same  evening  Thimble  called  with  a  pair  of  pantaloons  in 
a  state  of  repair,  and  inquired  for  "the  young  mon  that's'' 
— ''Who?"  said  the  landlord.  "Why,  the  young  mon 
that's  trouhVt  in  mind.^^  I  paid  him  his  fee,  yyhich  seemed 
to  Avork  a  sudden  change  in  his  countenance,  and  doubt- 
less opinion,  as  he  went  satisfied,  that  instead  of  being  a 
yelling  madman  I  was  only  a  very  bad  singer. 

In  a  few  days  I  procured  a  comfortable  office,  w^hich 
had  been  occupied  by  the  deceased  lawyer;  his  cliairs, 
tables,  and  book-case  had  been  left,  and  as  my  books  soon 
arrived,  I  was  established  without  much  trouble.  Con- 
sidering that  "time  is  the  stuff  that  life  is  made  of,"  I 
was  determined  to  turn  it  to  advantage,  and  follow^  the 
advice  of  Sir  William  Jones,  by  making  a  proper  division 
of  the  hours  of  the  day.  In  the  forenoon  I  was  engaged 
in  revising  the  elementary  writers  w^hich  I  had  read 
w^hile  a  student,  referring  to  the  leading  cases ;  and  in 
the  afternoon  I  read  over  again  the  great  English  histo- 
rians, together  with  other  literary  works  of  a  more  ele- 
mentary character,  such  as  the  travels  of  Anacharsis. 
The  waitings  of  Hume,  Gibbon,  Robertson,  Gillies,  Mid- 
dleton,  now  read  for  a  third  or  fourth  time,  presented  to 
me  that  kind  of  novelty  which  might  be  expected  from 
the  greater  maturity  of  my  own  intellect;  for,  after  all, 
the  profit  or  pleasure  derived  from  reading  must  chiefly 
depend  on  the  reader's  own  reflections.  This  course  was 
pursued  during  my  residence  at  Somerset,  excepting  when 
engaged  in  the  study  of  causes  in  the  course  of  my  prac- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  151 

tiec.  My  studies  in  Baltimore  had  been  very  general  or 
miscellaneous,  and  perhaps  more  of  my  time  and  thoughts 
had  been  occupied  by  men 'and  society  than  by  books;  a 
year  or  tAvo  of  quiet  and  regular  application  and  disci- 
pline could  not  fail  to  be  of  service  to  me. 

The  court  sat  four  times  a  year,  Judge  Young  pre- 
siding, a  gentleman  of  extensive  reading  and  of  a  most 
amiable  character.  He  was  an  intimate  friend  of  my 
father,  and  manifested  to  me  the  greatest  kindness.  My 
friend  Forward  had  married  his  niece,  while  I  was  still 
fi-ee  as  air,  and  almost  as  unsettled.  ^larriage  produces 
a  wonderful  change  in  the  character  of  a  young  lawyer. 
It  makes  him  a  man  of  business  imr  force,  at  the  same 
time  that  it  clips  the  wings  of  his  fancy,  and  in  a  few 
years  settles  him  down  to  the  level  of  the  society  in 
which  he  moves  and  has  his  being.  The  one  who  changes 
his  theater  of  action,  almost  mechanically  makes  a  new 
effort  on  the  new  stage ;  and  it  is  only  by  successive 
and  repeated  efforts  a  greater  elevation  can  be  attained. 
The  new  impulse  hurries  him  forward  beyond  the  point 
he  would  reach  if  he  were  to  continue  the  "even  tenor  of 
his  way."  And  here  I  am  unconsciously  raising  an  ar- 
gument in  favor  of  my  own  course,  while  I  have  just 
given  different  advice  to  the  young  lawyer — such,  alas! 
is  the  frailty  of  human  nature. 

I  waited  with  some,  anxiety  for  the  first  court,  and 
prevailed  on  my  friend  Forward,  who  was  settled  forty 
miles  off,  to  attend  it.  In  the  mean  time,  my  cases  were 
carefully  prepared  by  revolving  all  the  questions  or  topics 
of  law  which  might  arise  in  them  and  the  examination  of 
witnesses,  while  I  stood  ready  to  defend  any  unfortunate 
wight  who  might  fall  under  the  notice  of  the  grand  jury. 
As  there  were  but  two  lawyers  in  the  place,  that  is, 
another  beside  mvself,  our  names  were  marked  to  every 


152  SRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

suit  on  the  docket,  not  quite  a  thousand  in  number.  Dur- 
ing- the  term,  which  lasted  the  greater  part  of  the  week, 
I  made  four  or  five  speeches  a  day,  and  learned  how  much 
I  needed  a  course  of  practice  to  acquire  the  habit  of 
speaking  at  the  bar  with  ease  to  myself,  and  in  a  way 
suited  to  the  occasion.  Instead  of  speaking  in  the  pres- 
ence of  the  assembled  universe,  I  addressed  a  very  hum- 
ble audience  of  German  farmers,  and  American  Scotch- 
Irish  ;  my  speeches  were,  therefore,  entirely  too  elaborate 
and  magnificent,  and  altogether  too  vehement.  Mr.  For- 
ward, being  engaged  with  me  on  the  same  side,  opened 
the  case,  and  with  his  calm,  self-poised,  deliberate,  yet 
animated  argument,  made  the  subject  plain  to  the  under- 
standings of  the  jurymen.  He  marked  out  the  course, 
filled  up  the  valleys,  leveled  the  mountains,  paved  the 
way,  while  I  drove  my  vehicle  over  it  with  a  thundering 
noise.  I  was  glad  when  the  court  was  over,  for  it  kept 
me  in  a  painful  and  feverish  state  of  excitement.  The 
bar  has  its  commonplace,  which  forms  no  small  part  of 
its  ordinary  display;  it  requires  time  and  repeated  efibrts 
to  attain  it,  and  to  overcome  by  habit  a  large  portion  of 
that  sensibility  which  disturbs  the  young  and  unpracticed 
advocate.  The  3-oung  surgeon,  no  doubt,  of  fine  feeling, 
is  all  sensitiveness  at  first,  even  in  the  most  ordinary  use 
of  the  lancet,  which  he  soon  learns  to  use  with  indifler- 
ence ;  and  yet  the  sensibility  is  by  no  means  destroyed — 
it  is  still  alive  for  cases  of  new  and  peculiar  interest.  The 
art  of  orator}^  or  public  speaking  at  the  bar,  requires 
practice  on  real  sul)jects;  reading,  and  the  sham-fights  of 
the  debating  club  will  not  suffice.  The  dullest  practiced 
speaker  is  at  home  compared  to  the  young  lawyer  of 
genius,  whose  wire  edge  is  not  yet  worn  off,  and  who 
has  acquired  nothing  of  the  ordinary  iiJnnfj-u'hang.  I 
cannot  give  better  advice  on  this  occasion  than  to  request 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  153 

the  stiulent  to  ponder  over  the  words  of  Bacon:  "Read- 
ing makes  the  full  man,  writing  the  correct  man,  and 
speaking  the  ready  man.^^ 

At  the  succeeding  term  of  the  court  I  had  an  interest- 
ing case,  in  which  I  took  as  much  pains  as  if  I  were  to 
appear  before  the  Areopagus  of  Athens,  or  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States.  It  was  an  indictment  against 
a  money  lender  for  taking  more  than  legal  interest.  My 
speech  occupied  three  hours,  to  the  great  annoyance  of 
the  judge ;  it  was  afterward  written  out  by  me,  and  filled 
upwards  of  a  hundred  pages.  According  to  my  habit  of 
tracing  every  subject  to  its  fountain,  I  inquired  what  mat- 
ters are  in  themselves  the  subjects  of  prosecution  in  the 
criminal  forum  ;  that  is  to  say,  mala  in  se  as  the  law 
terms  them,  as  they  inflict  an  immediate  and  direct  injury 
to  society,  as  such,  although  they  may  at  the  same  time 
involve  a  private  wrong.  In  the  next  place,  I  pursued 
the  same  inquiry  as  to  those  acts  which  are  placed  on  the 
same  footing  as  to  the  mode  of  the  prosecution,  and  are 
called  mala  prohibita, — matters  indifferent  in  themselves, 
but  declared  criminal  in  consequence  of  the  extent  and 
nature  of  the  injury  to  society.  On  this  account  the 
legislator  has  thought  it  good  policy  to  place  them  in  the 
same  rank,  and  to  affix  the  same  sanction.  Xext  I  ex- 
amined the  nature  of  what  is  called  usury,  and  the  good 
policy  of  laws  limiting  the  amount  of  interest  for  the 
use  of  money,  or  of  anything  else  ;  and  this  with  a  view 
to  the  inquiry  whether  usury  could  be  considered  malum 
in  se.  I  then  traced  the  history  of  the  laws  on  the  sub- 
ject, beginning  with  Leviticus,  and  coming  down  to  our 
act  of  assembly  copied  from  the  statute  of  Anno.  I  re- 
viewed the  English  legislation  and  decisions,  and  endeav- 
ored to  establish  the  proposition,  that  usury  was  not 
malum  in  se ;  that  the  mode  of  prosecution  by  indictment 

14 


154  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

had  never  been  sanctioned,  excepting  in  cases  where  the 
amount  of  interest  was  forty  pe?^  cent.;  that  it  was  malum 
lyrohibitum  only  in  a  quahfied  sense,  being  the  subject  of 
a  qui  tarn  action,  and  not  to  a  prosecution  in  the  criminal 
forms.  The  learned  judge,  in  his  charge  to  the  jury,  was 
of  a  different  opinion.  There  was  a  verdict  against  my 
client;  but  on  a  writ  of  error  it  was  set  aside,  and  acquittal 
followed. 

The  foregoing  synopsis  will  be  dull  enough  to  the  gen- 
eral  reader,  but   the   law    student    may  possibly  think 
differently.     I  treated  the  first  part  of  the  subject  as  a 
philosopher,  referred  to  Beccaria,  and  reasoned  on  the  na- 
ture of  society  and  government.     The  second  I  endeavored 
to  discuss  like  a  statesman  and  legislator,  and  was  after- 
ward gratified  to  find  that  I  had  fallen  upon  all  the  argu- 
ments on  the  subject  of  usury,  with  scarce  an  exception, 
advanced  by  Jeremy  Bentham,  and  the  committee  of  the 
House   of  Commons.     I  then  traced   the    origin  of  the 
notion  among  Christian  people,  that  usury  is  sinful,  and 
read  the  passage  in  Scripture  which  places  the  loan  or 
use  of  all  other  articles  on  the  same  footing  with  usury  of 
money,  and  confined  the  prohibition  to  the  Jews  them- 
selves, while  they  were  permitted  to  take  usury  of  the 
stranger.     Usury  did  not  mean  the  taking  more  than  was 
reasonable  or  moderate  interest  fixed  hj  law,  but  any 
compensation  for  the  use  of  money  ;  and  it  was  this  which 
was  denounced  by  the  monks,  perhaps  from  interested 
motives,  as  a  mortal  sin.     The  first  British  statutes  were 
permissive  and  not  prohibitory,  and  originated  in  the  ex- 
igence of  commerce;  they  were  subsequently  repealed  by 
bigoted  princes,  in  the  reign  of  Mary,  as  being  contrary  to 
the  Catholic  tenets  of  that  day,  but  were  re-enacted  by 
Elizabeth  and  Anne.     Before  this,  no  interest  whatever 
was  allowed  for  the  use  of  the  money.     In  all  other  mat- 


RECOLLECTIONS    OF  THE    WEST.  155 

ters,  persons  capable  of  contracting  were  permitted  to 
make  their  o\Yn  bargains,  and  to  be  the  judges  for  them- 
selves whether  the  bargain  was  to  their  advantage  or  not : 
whether  this  exception  is  absolutely  necessary  for  the  good 
of  society,  is  a  problem  not  yet  solved.  I  think  the  law  of 
Louisiana,  making  a  distinction  between  conventional  and 
legal  interest,  will  be  ultimately  adopted  by  all  the  States ; 
without,  however,  limiting  the  amount  of  conventional  in- 
terest. Where  the  interest  is  excessive,  the  courts  of  equity, 
where  they  exist,  ought  to  relieve,  or  the  juries  should  do 
it  where  there  are  no  such  courts,  provided  the  excess  be 
such  as  to  be  unconscionable,  and  allied  to  fraud.* 

The  bar  has  its  tactics  as  well  as  war.  The  manage- 
ment of  a  cause  requires  judgment  and  experience — the 
battle  is  often  won  or  lost  before  a  word  is  addressed  to 
the  jury,  although  the  by-standers  think  of  nothing  but  the 
speech.  This  is  not  the  place  to  touch  on  a  subject  which 
would  require  a  volume  to  do  it  justice :  and,  besides,  it 
is  a  kind  of  war  which  I  consider  justifiable,  only  so  far 
as  it  tends  to  defeat  the  designs  of  the  unjust,  and  enable 
the  injured  to  obtain  redress.  The  most  common  defect 
in  the  management  of  a  cause  is  in  the  introduction  and 
management  of  testimony.  There  is  nothing  so  prejudi- 
cial or  injudicious  as  foolish  questions,  or  even  an  unneces- 
sary number  of  them,  or  the  frequent  repetition  of  the 
same  question.  But  the  most  silly  thing  of  all  is  to  try, 
after  a  witness  has  answered  well,  to  make  him  answer 
better.  A  previous  knowledge  of  the  case  will  enable  a 
man  of  good  sense  to  know  the  points  which  require  ex- 
planation, and  that  is  all  that  is  necessary.  How  vexa- 
tious to  see  a  case  overloaded  with  a  mass  of  testimony 

*  Thi^,  even,  is  doubtful.  The  subject  of  protectio7i  is  admira- 
bly discussed  by  the  great  work  of  Buckel. 


156  ^^-4  CKENRID  GE'S 

on  the  same  point,  varying  in  no  essential  circumstnce, 
tendiug  to  produce  confusion  and  to  bewilder  the  jury  1 
Most  cases  turn  upon  two  or  three  matters  of  fact,  and 
the  business  of  the  lawyer  and  judge  is  to  free  these  from 
what  is  irrelevant.  A  kind  of  moral  chemistry  is  to  be 
applied  to  reduce  the  mass  to  its  elements,  and  to  cast 
aside  what  is  useless  :  and  here  is  the  occasion  for  the 
exercise  of  the  power  of  discrimination  or  analysis,  which 
proves  the  skill  and  intelligence  of  the  advocate.  Leave 
to  those  who  can  do  no  better  to  pad  over  the  raw  material 
of  the  testimony,  to  repeat  again  and  again  the  stories  of 
the  several  witnesses;  varying  the  language,  and  attempt- 
ing to  substitute  a  phrase  or  two  in  order  to  give  an  un- 
fair coloring  to  what  has  been  said.  This  is  easier  than 
the  process  of  systematizing,  condensing,  or  compressing; 
the  analytic  and  synthetic,  by  which  a  bulky  thing  is 
made  to  occupy  a  small  space,  and  a  thing  of  weight 
is  expanded  to  larger  dimensions.  The  first  requires 
nothing  more  than  habit  or  practice,  the  commonplace 
slang-whang;  the  latter,  deep  thinking,  and  the  exercise 
of  all  the  acumen  of  the  mind.  Things  are  to  be  com- 
pared, to  be  carefully  scrutinized;  inferences  and  deduc- 
tions are  to  be  made  from  pregnant  facts ;  while  an  op- 
portunity is  afforded  of  drawing  from  that  common  stock 
of  information,  which  may  be  freely  used  without  calling 
on  the  testimony  of  witnesses. 

An  orator,  according  to  Cicero,  ought  to  know  every- 
thing; for  there  is  no  subject  on  which  he  may  not  be 
called  to  speak.  Experts,  or  persons  skilled  in  particular 
subjects,  are  often  called  to  help  out  the  ignorance  of  the 
lawyers,  judges,  and  jurors — such  as  engineers,  physicians, 
etc.  etc.;  but  this  does  not  preclude  the  advocate  from 
drawing  from  his  own  store,  I  once  knew  a  lawyer,  of 
very  common  talents,  to  obtain  a  complete  triumph  in  a 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  I57 

cause  where  the  question  related  to  the  effect  produced 
on  a  mill,  by  raising  the  dam  eighteen  inches  higher,  at 
another  mill,  lower  down  the  stream ;  but  the  lawyer 
had  previously  been  a  millwright !  The  common  practice 
of  the  bar  for  a  few  years  will  enable  the  most  ordinary 
lawyer  to  bawl  an  hour  or  two  over  his  volume  of  notes 
of  unimportant  testimony ;  but  it  requires  knowledge, 
original  thought,  and  sharpened  perception,  to  enlighten 
and  surprise  by  ingenious  arguments,  by  reducing  the 
bulky  mass  to  a  few  simple  propositions,  or  by  building 
up  an  imposing  structure  from  a  few  materials. 

But  of  all  the  impudent,  cowardly,  and  cruel  things  in 
life,  there  is  nothing  worse  than  the  practice  of  some 
lawyers,  in  harassing  and  insulting  witnesses  with  pro- 
voking interrogatories  and  insolent  bearing.  Some  are 
silly  enough  to  think,  that  by  treating  with  rudeness  the 
witness  of  the  opposite  party,  they  are  are  merely  show- 
ing their  zeal  for  their  client ;  and  that  to  seem  to  take  it 
for  granted  that  they  have  come  prepared  to  commit  per- 
jury is  professionally  their  duty.  Here  is  a  great  mis- 
take ;  no  one  ever  lost  auA'thing  by  treating  witnesses, 
while  under  examination,  with  civility,  and  but  little  is 
ever  gained  bv  a  contrary  course.  It  is  sometimes  neces- 
sary  to  question  a  witness  closely;  but  it  may  be  done 
without  insulting  him.  I  once  received  a  lesson  on  this 
subject  which  I  shall  never  forget.  My  client  persuaded 
me  that  the  only  witness  who  could  testify  to  the  assault 
and  battery  with  which  he  was  charged  was  subject  to 
habitual  intoxication,  and  was  in  liquor  at  the  time  of  the 
occurrence,  although  once  a  highly  respectable  man;  but 
on  this  occasion,  from  enmity  to  my  client,  was  determ- 
ined to  give  evidence  to  convict.  He  therefore  insisted 
on  my  putting  the  (juestion  to  him,  as  to  whether  he  was 
sober  or  not,  at  the  time,  in  the  plainest  and  most  offeu- 

14* 


158  ^^-4  CKEXRID  GE'S 

sive  manner.  My  inexperience  led  me  to  comply  with 
his  desire,  and  the  poor  witness,  an  elderly  man,  was 
grossly  insulted  by  me ;  he  looked  at  me  with  surprise 
for  a  moment,  and  then  coolly  observed,  "  Young  man,  I 
knew  your  father  well,  he  was  a  gentleman" — a  tear  then 
moistened  his  eye ;  I  immediately  rose  and  made  my 
apology  in  the  best  manner,  and  with  much  feeling,  for  I 
w^as  deeply  affected.  It  was  a  lesson  to  me  on  other  occa- 
sions ;  I  cannot  say  that  I  have  had  frequent  cause  to 
repent  of  my  civility  or  moderation,  but  I  have  suffered 
more  from  my  own  acts  of  rudeness  than  I  have  done  in- 
jury to  others  by  them. 

Perceiving  that  I  have  fallen  into  a  sort  of  dissertation, 
I  may  as  well  continue  it  to  the  end  of  the  chapter,  for 
the  benefit  of  those  whom  it  may  concern  ;  while  the  gen- 
eral reader  may  skip  over  to  where  he  will  find  more 
amusing  matter.  The  advocate  should  be  careful  not  to 
identify  himself  with  the  cause  of  his  client ;  he  must  not 
act  as  if  he  were  the  partner  or  accomplice  of  his  client. 
He  should  take  the  part  of  his  client  2^^ofessionaUy,  and 
after  having  done  his  duty,  leave  the  judge  and  jury  to 
do  theirs,  as  if  the  result  no  more  concerned  him  than  a 
by-stander.  It  is  not  easy  to  do  this,  I  confess,  and  at 
the  same  time  be  zealous  in  the  cause :  but  in  pursuing  a 
different  course  he  is  apt  to  forget  himself  as  a  lawyer 
and  a  gentleman.  As  to  the  charge  of  defending  indis- 
criminately right  and  wrong,  this  has  been  sufficiently  ex- 
plained away  by  Paley.  It  is  a  very  natural  idea,  but 
on  a  close  examination  it  will  be  found  to  be  incorrect. 
There  is  an  obvious  diil'erence  between  defending  indis- 
criminately right  and  wrong,  and  defending  or  sustaining 
persons  who  are  sometimes  right  and  sometimes  wrong, 
and  which  cannot  be  known  with  certaint}^  until  after  the 
trial;  and  the  counsel  may  be  as  unprepared  to  form  a 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  159 

correct  opinion,  until  after  tlie  investij^ation,  as  the  judge 
or  jury.    It  is  impossible  to  know  bow  tbe  testimony  will 
turn  out,  and  new  and  difficult  questions  of  law  are  con- 
stantly arising.     Tbe  lawyer  does  not  pretend  to  change 
his  system  of  ethics  with  the  causes  in  hand,  or  to  make 
injustice   and   falsehood  pass  for  right  and  truth.     The 
standard  of  moral  or  legal  rectitude  remains  tbe  same  in 
bis  mind  ;  but  in  bringing  particular  actions  to  the  test 
of  the  fixed  rules  of  right,  there  is  a  boundless  latitude 
for  honest  difference  of  opinion.     Besides,  it  seldom  hap- 
pens that  one  party  is  entirely  right,  and  another  entirely 
wrong;  and  in  tbe  latter- case,  if  left  without   defense, 
there  might  be  excess  in  the  measure  of  retribution — or 
those  safeguards  provided  by  tbe  laws  for  every  citizen 
might  be   violated.     It   would   be   uncandid   not  to   ac- 
knowledge that  tbe  practice  of  defending  persons  some- 
times in   the  right  and  sometimes  in  the  wrong,  has  a 
tendency  to  weaken  the  moral  sense,  especially  where  the 
duties  of  the  attorney  and  the  barrister  are  combined ; 
yet  looking  at  the  profession  as  a  body,  I  think  it  will  be 
found  that  they  contain  as  large  a  proportion  of  men  of 
strict  integrity  and  honor  as  in  any  other  pursuit.     In 
England,   if  I  am  correctly  informed,  the  barrister  has 
much  less  intercourse  with  his  client  than  the  advocate 
of  the  United  States.     There  the  case  is  prepared  by  the 
attorney,  who  hands  the  barrister  his  brief  and  his  fee  ; 
and  consequently  the  barrister  appears  only  i)rofessionally. 
It  is  perhaps  more  frequent  there  to  abandon  a  cause  in 
the  progress  of  it,  as  a  player  throws  u\)  a  bad  band  in  a 
game  of  cards;  and  it  ought  to  be  honorable  everywhere 
to  do  so.     The  honest  lawyer  always  bears  in  mind  that 
his  duty  extends  no  further  than  to  maintain  the  rights 
of  his  clients,  not  to  aid  their  iniquity. 

I  had  my  scruples  of  conscience  on  the  subject  of  the 


100  BRA  CKEXR  TDGF/S 

profession  for  several  years,  but  they  did  not  proceed  from 
an}^  necessity  of  defending  indiscriminately  right  and 
wrong,  but  from  the  idea  that  it  was  wrong  to  derive 
emolument  from  professional  advice  and  assistance.  It 
seemed  to  me  unjust  that  one  who  had  a  right  to  call 
upon  the  aid  of  the  law  to  afford  him  redress,  should,  in 
addition  to  the  vexation  arising  from  this  necessity,  be 
obliged  to  pay  for  professional  aid ;  and,  on  the  other 
hand,  that  he  who  was  already  persecuted  by  a  false 
clamor  should  further  suffer  by  being  compelled  to  pay 
for  the  privilege  of  defending  himself.  In  time  I  was 
enabled  to  reconcile  these  discrepancies.  Our  condition 
of  life  is  imperfect,  and  full  of  misfortune.  A  man  Avho 
loses  his  horse  pays  the  finder  for  his  trouble,  and  this 
adds  to  his  loss.  When  disease  overtakes  him,  he  must 
augment  the  misfortune  by  impoverishing  himself  to  ob- 
tain the  aid  of  a  physician.  In  a  country  of  laws  some 
persons  must  take  the  time  to  make  themselves  acquainted 
with  them,  so  that  others  may  pursue  their  ordinary  avo- 
cations without  interruption  ;  and  it  is  not  unjust  that  a 
compensation  should  be  allowed  for  their  assistance.  By 
this  kind  of  reasoning  my  mind  was  reconciled,  but  I  was 
always  a  very  bad  stipulator  for  fees ;  and  yet,  this  is  one 
of  the  things  to  be  learned  by  the  lawyer,  who  must  live 
as  well  as  others.  In  general,  the  worst  lawyers  are  the 
most  skillful  in  this  matter ;  yet  in  this,  as  in  many  others 
of  the  profession,  it  may  be  justly  said, — 

Inest  sua  gratia  parvis. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  IGl 


CHAPTER     XYII. 

The  Author  finds  Somerset  but  a  Kesting-phice — Resolves  to 
seek  the  Great  West — Reminisceuces — Philip  Doddridge — 
Digression  about  the  Capitol  at  Washington — A  Nondescript 
Frenchman. 

It  is  not  a  subject  which  can  afiford  any  great  cause  to 
boast  that  in  such  a  place  as  Somerset  I  soon  reached  the 
topmost  round  of  the  ladder  of  ambition,  for  the  ladder 
was  short,  and  the  rounds  were  few.  I  speak  as  a  law- 
yer ;  for,  if  politics  had  been  my  aim,  it  is  possible  that 
a  much  higher  point  of  elevation  might  have  been  within 
my  reach.  But  having  accomplished  the  object  of  my 
present  ambition,  it  may  be  supposed  that  I  will  here  lay 
down  my  pen,  after  writing  j^/h's  on  the  last  page  of  my 
book.  Not  so.  Scarcely  had  eight  months  rolled  away, 
and  with  all  their  deeds  been  numbered  with  the  past, 
before  I  began  to  be  restless  and  uneasy  in  my  present 
situation.  The  very  thought  of  being  settled  anywhere, 
much  less  in  this  dull  and  sleepy  place,  to  one  who  so 
passionately  loved  his  liberty,  and  whose  imagination  was 
ever  on  the  wing,  was  a  sufficient  motive  to  prepare  for 
another  flight  in  reality,  if  it  were  but  to  prove  that  his 
feet  had  not  become  roots,  and  thus  fastened  him  to  the 
ground.  Vanity!  oh,  vanity!  thou  dear  delight  of  youth- 
ful minds  !  it  was  thou  that  didst  whisper  to  me  that  else- 
where I  might  fill  a  larger  space,  while  ambition  urged 
me  to  try  my  fortune  on  a  more  extensive  field.  Perhaps 
the  reader  may  think,  when  he  casts  a  glance  backward 


162  BRA  CKEXRID  GE'S 

on  the  course  of  my  life,  that  a  restless  disposition  may 
have  been  generated  by  the  frequent  changes  of  place 
from  early  infancy.  I  have  thought  differently;  but  alas! 
we  are  prone  to  self-deception  ;  and  we  frame  a  thousand 
excuses,  and  produce  a  thousand  reasons  in  preference  to 
the  one  adopted  by  the  rest  of  the  world.  And  yet,  will 
it  be  thought  very  unnatural,  or  any  evidence  of  a  want 
of  steadiness  of  purpose  and  pursuit,  that  in  my  dreams 
and  waking  reveries  the  cords  of  feeling  drew  me  power- 
fully toward  the  scenes  of  my  childhood,  and  toward 
those  from  whom  my  infant  ties  of  aifection  had  been 
violently  severed  ?  Whatever  the  real  motives,  it  is  cer- 
tain that  Somerset  grew  each  day  more  tiresome  to  me. 
I  mused  continually  on  the  project  of  seeking  the  distant, 
magnificent  West,  and  of  attaining,  on  the  Ohio  or  Missis- 
sippi, distinction  and  wealth  with  the  same  rapidity,  and 
on  the  same  scale,  that  those  vast  regions  were  expand- 
ing into  greatness. 

During  the  winter  I  passed  a  considerable  part  of  the 
night  in  the  study  of  the  French  literature.*  I  had  be- 
come possessed  of  a  handsome  collection  of  French  books, 
which  had  belonged  to  a  French  gentleman  lately  de- 
ceased, and  who  had  unfortunately  for  himself  been  en- 
gaged in  iron  works.  Among  these  were  the  Cours  de 
Litterature  of  La  Harpe,  and  the  Theatre  Francais — 
the  latter  a  treasure  to  me.  I  pored  over  it  with  inex- 
pressible delight,  and  compared  the  Introductions  of  Yol- 
tairc  to  the  similar  writings  of  Dryden.  ^  gave  the 
preference  to  Corneille  over  Racine,  which,  according  to 
Bourrienne,  was  the  case  also  with  one  whom  I  am  not 
so  vain  as  to  name  on  the  same  page  with  myself  I 
would  rescue  the  Cid  from  destruction,  even  if  in  doing 

*  I  was  always  a  niglit  student. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  103 

SO  all  the  rest  of  tlie  French  drama  and  half  of  Shak- 
speare  should  perish  ! 

I  have  said  that  the  society  of  Somerset  was  dull,  with- 
out meaning,  however,  to  cast  any  reflection  on  the  people 
of  that  place — many  of  whom  I  remember  with  g-rateful 
feeling's.  I  was  both  social  and  antisocial ;  that  is,  I 
loved  both  solitude  and  society.  But  almost  the  only 
social  people  were  a  few  who  met  now  and  then  to  drink 
apple-toddy  and  sing  songs,  Irish,  Dutch  or  Welsh. 
Strange  as  it  may  seem,  I,  who  had  gone  through  the  dis- 
sipation of  a  city  unscathed,  was  occasionally  enveloped 
in  the  fumes  of  tobacco,  which  I  never  used  in  anyway — 
among  card  players,  whose  cards  I  never  touched ;  and 
more  than  once  went  home  reeling,  and  with  difficulty 
could  steer  my  way  to  the  sign-post !  The  reflections  of 
my  serious  moments  suggested  to  me  the  danger  to  which 
I  was  exposed,  in  a  place  where  all  motives  to  higher  ac- 
tion seemed  already  exhausted.  It  was  time,  I  thought, 
to  seek  other  pastures.  Alas  !  how  many  young  profes- 
sional men  of  promise  have  fallen  unhappy  victims  to  vices 
like  these,  without  even  the  excuse  of  temptation  or  seduc- 
tion! Flight,  a  change  of  scene,  new  men,  new  incentives, 
must  be  sought,  with  a  firm  determination  to  abjure  such 
conviviality  in  future.  In  my  case  a  higher  passion  Re- 
gained possession  of  me — this  was  the  desire  to  excel  as 
an  orator,  and  my  asi)irations  after  fame  still  vague  and 
undelined ;  yet,  so  strong  was  the  latter,  that  to  exist 
without  notoriety  or  fame,  seemed  the  next  thing  to  non- 
existence itself.  When  this  was  afterward  attained,  in 
a  comparative  degree,  I  was  surprised  that  I  should  have 
set  my  heart  upon  such  a  bauble,  or  rather  bubble.  The 
love  of  wild  adventure,  to  which  I  have  alluded,  also  in- 
fluenced me.  This  love  had  been  nourished  by  the  read- 
ing of  travels,  real  or  iictitious  adventures,  biography,  and 


164  BRA  G KEN  RID  GE'S 

romance,  in  all  of  which  I  had  taken  an  extraordinary  de- 
light, and  had  dipped  deep.  My  mind  was  stored  with 
everything  of  this  kind.  Had  I  been  a  prudent  piece  of 
still  life,  I  might  have  done  very  well  in  Somerset;  I 
might  have  laid  up  a  few  hundred  dollars,  have  purchased 
land  sold  for  less  than  its  value  at  sheriffs  sale,  and  thus 
laid  the  foundation  of  a  fortune  ;  have  married  a  blowsy 
country  lass,  and  become  the  father  of  a  dozen  big  boys 
and  girls,  a  generation  of  people  like  the  children  af  Israel. 
But  it  pleased  the  fates  to  spin  the  thread  of  my  life  in  a 
different  way. 

For  the  sake  of  variety,  I  made  occasionally  an  excur- 
sion to  the  neighboring  counties,  to  Cumberland,  in  Mary- 
land, Greensburg  and  Bedford,  in  Pennsylvania.  At 
Cumberland  I  had  a  taste  of  Maryland  hospitality  and 
refined  manners,  especially  among  the  female  part  of  the 
socety.  At  Bedford  I  saw  a  motley  collection  at  the 
Springs.  At  Greensburg  I  spent  a  week  at  Judge 
Young's,  at  his  sweet  little  villa  of  ^'Skara  Glen"— the 
subject  of  one  of  my  father's  poetic  effusions.  Here  I 
enjoyed  the  society  of  the  judge,  and  of  my  friend  For- 
ward, and  the  kind  attentions  of  the  best  of  women,  Mrs. 
Young. 

The  stage  passed  twice  a  week  through  Somerset,  and 
stopped  at  " mine  inn."  An  opportunity  was  thus  afforded 
me  of  seeing  and  conversing,  and  even  of  forming  ac- 
quaintance with  persons  bound  from  east  to  west,  or 
from  west  to  east.  The  Sabbath  was  usually  a  day  of 
rest,  not  on  account  of  religious  scruples  against  travel- 
ing on  that  day,  as  in  some  parts  of  the  Union,  but, 
from  the  arrangements  for  the  delivery  of  the  mail,  the 
contract  requiring  it  to  be  done  in  six  days;  and  as  mine 
host  was  interested  in  the  business,  his  house  was  voted 
the  most  suitable  place  to  pass  the  supernumerary  day, 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  TUE    WEST.  165 

much  to  his  benefit,  but  to  the  great  discontent  of  the 
passengers.  I  approved  of  the  arrangnient,  for  it  seldom 
failed  to  bring  me  the  relief  of  society,  which  lessened  the 
ennui  I  experienced.  They  were  glad  in  turn  to  find 
some  one  who  was  willing  to  afford  them  some  amuse- 
ment during  a  detention  so  tedious  to  persons  impatient 
to  reach  the  end  of  their  journey.  There  was  no  remark- 
able cascade,  or  rock,  or  scene,  or  place  where  wild  fruits 
might  be  gathered,  with  which  I  was  not  familiar ;  and 
when  the  weather  did  not  permit,  I  sat  with  them  at  the 
fireside,  and  endeavored  by  conversation  to  make  the  time 
pass  less  wearily.  It  would  have  been  curious  to  look 
back  upon  a  register  of  the  persons  and  characters  I  hap- 
pened to  encounter !  I  was  often  amused  and  instructed 
by  these  brief  friendships.  It  was  here  that  I  first  became 
acquainted  with  Philip  Doddridge,  one  of  the  few  prodigies 
I  have  met  with  in  the  course  of  my  life.  He  was  at 
least  a  prodigy  of  memory;  but  this  gift  was  by  no  means, 
as  is  usually  the  case,  at  the  expense  of  the  other  faculties, 
for  his  imagination  was  as  forcible  as  his  memory  was 
retentive,  and  his  judgment  was  as  finely  balanced  as  the 
golden  scales  of  Milton.  How  much  have  all  students 
lamented  the  want  of  such  a  memory  as  Doddridge  pos- 
sessed !  Mine  is  little  better  than  a  panierperce,  although 
I  have  undertaken  to  write  Recollections.  It  is  painful 
to  reflect  that  the  deportment  of  this  great  man,  great 
even  in  ruins,  did  not  in  one  particular  correspond  in 
gravity  with  his  high  order  of  intellect.  Public  opinion 
now  attaches  odium  to  what  in  former  days  was  regarded 
as  only  a  venial  error ;  and,  alas  !  too  common  in  a  profes- 
sion where  reason  ought  to  rule  supreme.  How  painful 
— how  awful  must  be  the  sorcery  of  intemperance,  to  en- 
slave, to  subdue  such  a  mind!  A  curious  incident  is  con- 
nected with  this  subject,  which  I  hope  I  may  be  permitted 

15 


166  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

to  relate  without  offense  to  any  survivor.  He  was  once 
laid  out  for  dead,  and  remained  three  days  in  that  state, 
his  wife  not  permitting  him  to  be  buried,  from  a  belief  that 
he  had  still  some  life  in  him.  She  bethought  herself  of 
pouring  a  spoonful  or  two  of  brandy  down  his  throat, 
which  brought  him  to.  He  used  to  declare,  that  during 
this  fit  of  catalepsy  he  was  perfectly  sensible  of  every- 
thing transpiring  around  him,  and  often  thought  "what 
d — d  fools  they  were"  for  not  applying  the  remedy  re- 
sorted to  at  last  by  his  wife. 

The  last  time  I  saw  him  was  in  the  rotunda  at  Wash- 
ington. He  had  been  sent  to  Congress  from  Western 
Virginia.  His  back  was  to  me  ;  but  I  knew  his  voice 
and  his  square  figure  as  well  as  I  should  have  known  his 
prodigious  head  and  immortal  chin,  if  I  had  seen  him  in 
the  midst  of  a  million  of  men.  He  was  holding  forth  in 
his  peculiar  and  original  way,  half  in  jest  and  half  in 
earnest,  on  the  subject  of  the  relievos  (alto  or  basso) 
which  are  intended  to  adorn  the  panels  in  this  vast  en- 
ceinte, whose  appropriate  uses  yet  remain  to  be  discov- 
ered. "Look  at  that  Puritan — the  Indian,  kind-hearted 
soul,  is  giving  him  an .  ear  of  corn,  and  what  return  did 
he  make  for  this  charity?  Why,  this  is  a  satire  upon  us. 
And  here  is  that  white  Indian,  Boone,  killing  a  couple  of 
red  ones  in  a  canebrake;  this,  I  suppose,  is  to  show  our 
justice  and  humanity — as  the  first  our  gratitude !  But 
what  is  this  ?  Pocahontas  and  that  rascal  Smith ;  I 
have  no  patience  with  the  scoundrel ;  his  conduct  to  Po- 
cahontas was  infamous.  More  Indians !  There  is  that 
jjypocrite,  Pcnn,  cheating  them  of  their  lands  by  buying 
them  for  trinkets  and  baubles.  You  have  heard  of  the 
walking  bargain,  I  presume?"  Here  he  related  the  story 
with  singular  minuteness  of  detail.  "  This  is  too  much  ; 
can  it  be  possible  that  we  have  paid  thousands  of  dollars 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  167 

to  those  Italians  to  scandalize  us  in  this  manner?  I  am 
almost  ashamed  of  my  country.  "Why  have  they  omitted 
the  burning  of  the  witches  ?  But  I  see  there  is  room  left 
for  other  caricatures." 

I  certainly  did  not  ag-rce  with  him  as  to  two  of  these 
works — the  treaty  of  Pcnn  and  the  representation  of 
Smith  and  Pocahontas;  both  subjects  are  noble,  and  are 
great  events  in  the  history  of  two  of  the  most  important 
States.  As  to  the  family  of  pilgrims,  it  is  a  mere  fancy 
sketch,  nothing  of  the  kind  having  actually  occurred. 
The  Landing  of  the  Pilgrims  is  a  different  attair  from 
this  beggarly  group  receiving  the  charity  of  the  Indian 
as  from  their  good  angel.  The  rencounter  between  Boone 
and  the  savages,  in  the  canebrake,  might  be  well  enough 
as  a  subordinate  affair,  and  among  minor  subjects ;  but 
is  not  more  striking  than  a  hundred  other  occurrences  of 
the  same  kind. 

I  cannot  believe  that  Mr.  Jefferson  would  have  been 
satisfied  with  our  great  national  building,  council-house, 
capitol,  or  whatever  we  may  cho^e  to  call  this  vast 
structure,  if  he  had  seen  it  after  being  fully  completed. 
The  exterior  is  undoubtedly  sublime ;  but  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  handsome  library-room,  some  of  the  com- 
mittee-rooms, and  the  cook-shops  below,  it  is  a  melancholy 
failure.*  Every  one  is  sensible  of  the  defect  of  the  rep- 
resentative hall,  a  place  for  debating  and  speaking,  so 
contrived  as  to  prevent  the  voice  from  conveying  any 
distinct  sound!  For  my  part,  I  object  to  it  for  a  more 
serious  reason:  the  want  of  sufficient  and  suitable  accom- 
modations for  spectators.  The  representatives  of  the 
people,  alone,  seem  to  have  been  considered, — the  people 
altogether  neglected.     The  first  are  splendidly  seated  in 

*  Nearly  the  whole  has  been  changed  since,  this  was  written. 


Igg  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

their  mahogany  chairs,  while  any  sort  of  rookery  was 
thought  good  enough  for  that  portion  of  sovereignty 
Avhich  might,  from  time  to  time,  honor  the  deliberations 
of  the  puhlic  servants,  agents,  or  counselors,  with  its  au- 
gust presence.  There  is  nothing  analogous  here  to  our 
political  institutions;  if  there  is  any  resemblance  to  the 
ancient  Greek  theater  in  the  plan,  there  is  the  singular 
absurdity  of  assigning  the  places  of  the  spectators  to  the 
actors— exactly  reversing  the  order  of  arrangement.  I 
always  felt  indignant  when  I  entered  the  gallery  of  the 
representative  chamber.  In  my  opinion,  instead  of  a  vast 
pile  reared  for  people  to  gaze  upon  and  to  wonder  at, 
separate  buildings  ought  to  have  been  provided  for  the 
great  branches  of  the  government,  where  the  appropriate, 
as  well  as  the  sublime  and  beautiful,  might  have  been 
consulted. 

If  the  want  of  suitable  galleries  be  objectionable  in  the 
representative  hall,  what  shall  we  say  of  the  senate 
chamber  ?  It  might  do  for  a  conclave  of  cardinals,  but 
not  for  the  deliberations  of  a  popular  assembly.  The 
little  bird-cage  galleries  near  the  ceiling,  with  swallow 
holes  to  creep  into  them,  are  an  insult  to  the  majesty  of 
the  people.  The  architect,  who  seems  to  have  begrudged 
even  these  fixtures  at  the  expense  of  his  beautiful  elliptical 
vault,  had  better  at  once  have  inscribed  on  the  door  of 
the  chamber: 

Procul,  0  procul  este  profani, 


Totoque  absistite  luco. 

Away!  away!  ye  vulgar  herd  away! 

The  place  pollute  not  by  a  moment's  stay. 

The  deliberations  of  the  Senate,  if  it  were  possible,  ought 
to  be  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  nation.  It  now  sits, 
on  too  many  occasions,  with  closed  doors ;  they  should 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  100 

be  open  in  everything  relating  exclusively  to  ourselves; 
and  the  public  servant,  styled  president  by  the  Constitu- 
tion, but  who  has  become  a  sort  of  king  by  tacit  consent, 
ought  to  be  made  to  attend,  whenever  what  is  called 
executive  business  happens  to  be  under  discussion,  and 
with  the  privilege  of  explaining.  There  were  no  closed 
doors  at  Athens;  the  six  thousand  voters  always  sat  in 
public.  In  this  way  he  might  be  reached  by  the  only 
kind  of  impeachment  he  is  likely  to  incur.  By  this  means 
he  would  be  made  to  feel  that  he  is  only  the  prime  min- 
ister of  the  nation,  and,  like  a  British  minister,  be  taught 
that  his  responsibility  is  not  merely  ideal. 

As  to  the  den  called  the  supreme  court-room,  it  might 
have  done  for  the  Areopagus  of  Athens,  which  sat  in  the 
dark;  or  perhaps  it  might  do  for  those  gloomy  regions 
where  chief  justice  Minos  sits,  with  his  associate  justices, 
.iEacus  and  Rhadamanthus  ;  but  it  is  unworthy  the  most 
luminous  branch  of  the  American  government.  My 
strictures  may  be  thought  more  bold  than  just,  especially 
since  the  evils,  if  they  exist,  are  now  remediless  until 
another  generation  or  two  shall  pass  away,  and  it  may 
be  the  will  of  the  sovereign  people  to  build  another  coun- 
cil-house or  capitol,  west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains, 
and  near  the  source  of  the  Ohio,  which  may  serve  a  few 
generations,  until  another  may  be  required  farther  west. 

I  was  summoned  one  evening,  by  "  mine  host,"  to  serve 
as  interpreter  between  him  and  a  French  gentleman,  who 
had  just  aiTived  with  his  lady,  and  seemed  to  be  "  troubPt 
in  mind."  I  found  him  walking  in  a  frenzied  way  up  and 
down  the  long  room,  ejaculating,  gesticulating,  striking 
his  forehead,  kicking  the  carpet,  and  occasionally  stop- 
ping to  look  at  himself  in  the  glass.  His  "better  half," 
and  I  use  no  complimentary  phrase,  was  meekly  seated 
by  the    fire,  apparently  unconscious  of  his   fury.     His 

15* 


170  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

parrots  were  perched  on  the  backs  of  chairs ;  his  monkey 
was  skipping  about   and  chattering  in  one  corner ;  and 
his  bird-cages  Avere  placed  on  the  table.     I  judged  at  once, 
from  his  associates  and  favorites,  that  he  must  be  some 
nobleman.     When  I   was   announced  as  a  person  who 
spoke  French,  he  turned  round  to  me,  and  exclaimed,  in  a 
furious  manner,  "Ah  !  monsieur,  vous  avez  un  vilain  paya.''^ 
"You  have  a  vile  country,  sir,  you  are  all  a  set  of  cut- 
throats, canaille."     This  salutation  he  followed  up  by  a 
volley  of  abuse  against  everything  he  had  yet  seen  in 
America.     Our  government  was  that  of  a  banditti ;  our 
citizens  thieves,  robbers,  incendiaries,  brutes,  monsters. 
I  was  too  much  amused  with  the  oddity  of  his  character 
to  be  offended,  and  besides,  he  was  an  object  of  curiosity, 
for  your  real  noblemen  seldom  condescend  to  visit  us.    It 
was  the  first  one  I  had  seen  alive.     After  relieving  him- 
self by  this  discharge  of  bile,  he  was  so  kind  as  to  attempt 
to  convince  me  by  sober  argument  that  he  had  spoken 
nothing  but  the  truth,  breaking  out  every  now  and  then, 
however,  in  his  former  strain.     According  to  his  incohe- 
rent account,  and  what  I  afterward  learned  from  others, 
he  had  encountered  several  dire  misfortunes  in  this  land 
of  the  Anthropophagi,  unheard  of,  or  unequaled  in  Orlando 
Furioso.     His  barouche  had  stuck  fast  in  the  mud,  and 
the  wagoners,  instead  of  assisting  him  when  he  com- 
manded them  by  signs,  when  he  showed  them  money, 
and  cocked  pistols,  drove  past  him,  and  one  of  them  broke 
a  wheel  of  his  vehicle.     But  for  the  interference  of  some 
travelers    on    horseback   they  would   have   robbed   and 
murdered  him.     He  had  been  obliged  to  walk  two  miles 
to  a  tavern  and  blacksmith's  shop      His  vehicle  being 
patched  up,  he  came  on  to  Somerset  to  get  it  repaired,  his 
rage  still  unap})eased.     He  had  a  variety  of  other  griev- 
ances to  relate ;  in  one  place  he  was  seized  by  some  per- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  171 

sons  and  detained,  because  he  beat  his  servant  and  threat- 
ened to  shoot  him;  in  another  a  landlord  had  shown  him 
a  bed  with  dirty  sheets,  which  he  had  the  impudence  to 
say  was  only  soiled  by  pigeon-dung  while  drying  on  the 
fence,  when  his  own  senses  told  him  it  proceeded  from  a 
different  biped.  "Pigeon-dung,"  said  the  landlord.  "Xo, 
sare,  man-dung,"  said  the  nobleman.  The  dispute  grew 
high,  and  the  vile  plebeian  had  the  insolence  to  threaten 
to  turn  him  out  of  his  house.  He  consented  at  last  to 
show  him  another  bed.  "  This  is  indeed  one  infamous 
country,"  said  he;  "in  Russia,  where  I  have  lived  until 
lately,  which  has  the  character  of  being  barbarous  com- 
pared to  civilized  Europe,  if  a  gentleman  is  insulted  he 
can  order  the  knout  at  his  pleasure,  but  here  you  are 
worse  than  Hottentots — you  have  not  a  spark  of  civiliza- 
tion— no  government,  sir — it  is  no  country  for  a  gentle- 
man— I  will  take  my  monkey,  I  will  take  my  parrots,  I 
will  take  my  wife,  and  go  back  to  Russia." 

From  what  I  could  learn,  he  was  the  son  of  an  emigre 
brought  up  in  Russia.  Of  the  old  stock  it  has  been  said 
that  they  have  neither  learned  nor  forgotten  anything  ;  of 
the  young  brood,  brought  up  in  such  a  country  as  Russia, 
a  part  of  the  observation  may  not  ap})ly.  This  being 
was  certainly  part  ape,  a  good  deal  touched  with  the  bear. 
He  called  at  my  office,  happened  to  see  an  elegant  copy 
of  Tasso,  which  he  admired,  said  it  was  of  no  use  there, 
and  actually  put  it  in  his  pocket!  I  never  saw,  in  one  out 
of  a  strait  jacket,  such  extraordinary  manifestation  of  fury. 
The  irse  furor  brevis  was  well  exemplified  in  him ;  he 
would  have  been  a  useful  study  to  youth,  on  the  principle 
of  the  Spartans,  who  exposed  their  drunken  helots  to  the 
contempt  and  deri.sion  of  their  children.  There  is  no  vice 
more  odious  than  this  habitual  indulgence  of  a  furious 
temper ;  it  is  equally  injurious  to  him  who  feels  it,  and 


1'72  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

painful  to  those  who  witness  it.  I  wondered  that  this 
man  had  ever  attained  his  present  age :  although  not 
above  five  and  twenty,  I  had  a  presentiment  that  soon  or 
late  he  would  come  to  a  violent  end.  Such  was  his  fate  ; 
he  was  shot  down  like  a  mad  dog  in  one  of  the  West 
India  islands,  while  the  perpetrator  of  the  deed  was 
thought  to  have  rendered  a  public  service.  He  had  pre- 
viously lost  his  unhappy  wife  and  child  at  Louisville, 
Kentucky,  and  also  his  monke}'  and  birds,  who  equally 
shared  his  affections  with  nearer  objects.  His  countenance 
was  remarkable — a  narrow  forehead,  square  face,  light 
eyes,  a  large  bushy  head,  and  sharp  teeth,  as  if  born  to 

"  Snarl  and  bite,  and  play  the  dog." 


CHAPTER    XYIII. 

Voyage  down  the  Ohio — Disappointment  at  Gallipolis. 

With  the  reader's  permission,  I  will  now  change  the 
scene  to  the  banks  of  the  Monongahela  at  Pittsburg, — 
time,  a  fine  morning  in  April.  The  shore  is  lined  with 
the  various  kinds  of  keels,  flat-bottoms,  or  arks,  of  all  the 
sizes  and  forms  used  in  the  growing  trade  of  the  West, 
and  a  bustling  set  of  people  playing  different  parts;  but 
no  leviathan  steamboats  are  seen  proudly  asserting  their 
conquest  over  the  Western  waters.  The  object  to  which 
our  attention  will  be  more  immediately  attracted  is  a 
keel  about  ten  or  fifteen  tons  burden,  with  a  sort  of  deck 
at  each  end,  affording  a  cabin  sufficiently  roomy  for  two 
men  to  lie  under  by  coiling  themselves  up.     Both  bow 


RECOLLECTTOXS  OF  THE    WEST.  173 

and  stern  were  pointed  alike,  and  distinguished  only  by 
the  bow-rope  on  the  one,  and  the  long"  tail  of  a  steering- 
oar  on  the  other.  The  open  spaee  aniid-ships  was  occu- 
pied by  barrels,  bales,  and  castings,  part  on  freight,  and 
part  owned  by  the  captain,  as  he  of  the  steering-oar  is 
usually  denominated.  The  captain,  a  swarthy,  ill-looking 
man  of  forty,  inclining  to  fat,  dressed  in  a  leathern  doub- 
let, blue  broadcloth  pantaloons,  and  Suwarrow  boots, 
gave  the  w^ord  to  push  off,  which  was  promptly  obeyed 
by  Rali)h  Higginbotham,  son  of  the  **  Squire"  up  the 
Monongahela  (so  justices  of  the  peace  are  styled  in 
Pennsylvania),  and  Bill  Hulings,  neither  the  first  nor  the 
"last  of  the  boatmen."  It  might  be  easily  seen  that  this 
was  the  first  voyage  of  Ralph,  a  w^ell-set,  broad-shouldered 
little  fellow,  with  silver  w^atch  in  fob,  a  fortune  of  four- 
teen dollars  in  cash,  and  dressed  in  home-made  cloth, 
cut  out  and  made  up  by  his  good  mother,  in  burlesque  of 
the  mode  which  had  prevailed  in  tOAvn  a  few  years  before. 
As  this  was  a  voyage  of  experience  to  whet  his  faculties, 
so  that  he  might  take  the  management  of  a  boat  himself 
in  due  time,  he  was  to  work  his  passage,  which  was  not 
tlie  case  with  Bill,  in  his  tow  shirt  and  trowsers,  and 
handkerchief  on  his  head,  who  had  performed  many  such 
voyages,  and  who,  in  consequence,  now  appointed  him- 
self captain  of  the  forecastle,  seized  a  pole,  bade  Ralph 
do  the  same,  and  in  a  moment  the  boat  was  adrift  in  the 
current. 

But  pray,  who  are  those  two  young  men  of  rather 
slender  make,  seated  on  a  chest  on  the  after-deck,  and 
somewhat  in  the  way  of  the  sweep  of  the  steering-oar? 
They  are  only  passengers.  The  one  in  the  Quaker  garb, 
with  blue  eyes,  and  comi)lexion  of  strawberry  and  cream, 
is  just  six  weeks  from  the  Emerald  Isle,  on  his  way  to 
the  "Sunny  South,"  to  take  charge  of  a  cotton  plantation. 


1'74  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

which  had  bj  some  means  become  the  property  of  a  per- 
son in  Ireland.  The  other,  dressed  in  black,  with  dark 
hazel  eyes,  complexion  more  of  the  sun  than  of  the  rose, 
with  auburn  locks,  and  organs  of  veneration  and  ideality 
unusually  developed,  but  not  harmonizing  with  the  round 
laughing  face,  might  have  passed,  notwithstanding,  for  a 
young  missionary  bound  to  the  far  West — Encore  cet 
homme. 

When  our  boat  reached  the  broad  expanse  where  the 
two  rivers  unite,  and  thence  pursue  their  course  to  the 
Mississippi,  under  the  name  of  the  Ohio,  and  sometimes 
of  La  Belle  Riviere,"^  I  turned  to  take  a  "  long  and  linger- 
ing look"  at  my  native  town,  to  which  I  had  just  paid  a 
short  visit,  and  was  about  to  bid  a  long  farewell.  Let 
the  imagination  of  the  reader  assist  me  in  passing  in  re- 
view the  variety  of  thoughts  and  emotions  which  crowded 
upon  my  mind,  as  the  boat  glided  away,  and  the  town 
receded  from  my  view.  It  was  the  beginning  of  my 
second  voyage  down  the  Ohio,  after  a  three  years'  ab- 
sence from  Pittsburg.  My  short  visit  to  my  friends  and  to 
the  scenes  of  my  childhood  was  a  period  of  delirium — for 
my  attachments  were  ardent,  I  had  visited,  with  something 
like  religious  enthusiasm,  every  spot,  every  rock,  every 
tree,  and  every  hill,  where  I  loved  to  wander  when  a  boy. 
I  witnessed  with  pride  and  pleasure  the  rapid  increase  of 
the  town,  become  almost  a  third  larger  during  my  ab- 
sence, which  had  not  been  so  long  as  to  render  me  a 
stranger  in  my  native  land ;  on  the  contrary,  I  was 
greeted  at  every  step  by  man,  woman,  and  child,  with 
looks  and  words  of  welcome.  I  was  now  leaving  them, 
perhaps  forever — a  tear  came  to  my  eye — but  the  spirit 

*  La-ga-ne  (beautiful)  was  the  name  of  the  Alleghany,  which 
the  French  translated  as  above,  and  was  considered  the  true 
Ohio. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST  175 

of  wild  adventure  controlled  nic.  Pittsburg  exhibited  an 
appearance  of  melancholy  beauty  (for  it  was  not  then 
obscured  by  coal  smoke)  as  it  slowly  disappeared — its 
hills  on  the  background  rising  higher  in  the  clouds. 
Grant's  Hill,  the  spot  endeared  by  infant  recollection,  and 
the  grove  on  Watson's  Hill,  my  alma  mater,  were  the 
two  last  o1)jects  to  fade  from  my  sight.  Farewell,  my 
native  town !  Should  all  my  aspirations  fail,  and  mis- 
fortune attend  my  steps,  the  hope  of  revisiting  thee  may 
still  remain — the  pleasure,  if  it  be  a  melancholy  one,  of 
reviving  on  the  spot  the  feelings  of  sorrow  and  delight 
which  I  can  never  know  in  the  same  degree  anywhere 
else,  for  it  was  here  I  was  first  conscious  of  them. 

Mr.  Graves,  the  young  Quaker,  was  one  of  my  Somerset 
Sunday  acquaintances.  I  had  made  all  my  preparations, 
and  was  waiting  for  the  season  to  be  a  little  more  ad- 
vanced, when  he  came  along;  and  from  the  desire  of 
having  such  a  companion,  I  determined  to  take  my  de- 
parture without  further  delay.  He  w^as  about  my  own 
age,  a  little  turned  of  twenty-three ;  had  received  an  edu- 
cation to  fit  him  for  mercantile  life;  was  of  a  lively,  cheer- 
ful disposition ;  and  that  he  was  moral  and  discreet  may 
be  presumed  from  his  belonging  to  the  Society  of  Friends. 
The  captain  of  the  boat  at  first  declined  any  stipulation 
for  our  passage,  but  finally  consented  that  we  should  lay 
in  the  provisions  of  the  voyage,  which  we  did  so  liberally, 
trtat  we  had  reason  afterward  to  repent  it,  inasmuch  as 
it  was  the  means  of  reducing  us  almost  to  starvation,  as 
he  locked  up  our  stores  toward  the  latter  part  of  the  voy- 
age for  the  purpose  of  speculating  on  them. 

My  books  and  the  principal  ])art  of  my  baggage  had 
been  sent  to  St.  Genevieve,  to  an  acquaintance,  to  whom 
I  had  communicated  my  intended  migration.  I  reserved 
a  small  collection,  and  \\x  it,  what  was  then  a  new  work, 


1^6  BRA  CKENRID  GF'S 

"Malthus  on  Population,"  which  I  determined  to  peruse 
with  care,  as  it  seemed  to  open  a  new  vista  in  political 
economy,  although  the  greater  part  is  little  more  than  the 
expansion  of  one  of  those  pregnant  hints  of  Dr.  Franklin, 
whose  mental  vision,  like  that  of  Bacon,  in  so  many  in- 
stances shot  far  ahead  of  his  contemporaries.  I  was  also 
well  provided  with  maps,  and  had  ransacked  the  town, 
and  the  onl}^  bookstore  then  in  it,  for  publications  relating 
to  the  regions  through  which  I  was  about  to  pass.  I  pro- 
cured "  Imlay's  Kentucky,"  with  Boon's  Narrative,  said 
to  have  been  revised  by  Mary  Wolstoncroft ;  I  mean  the 
first  of  these  works.  I  also  procured  Harris's  Tour, 
Ashe's  lying  book,  Yolney's  philosophic  work,  Humboldt's 
New  Spain,  and  some  other  French,  English,  and  Ameri- 
can productions.  I  had  a  deistical  work  by  Monday,  the 
keeper  of  a  circulating-library  in  Baltimore,  who  presented 
it  to  me ;  but  which  I  had  not  read.  He  was  a  j^ious 
man — had  prayers  in  his  family  night  and  morning,  and 
)^et  took  the  pains  to  print  a  book  to  prove  that  Chris- 
tianity was  all  an  imposture,  and  was  zealous  in  his  en- 
deavors to  make  converts !  He  went  much  further  than 
the  Theophilists  of  France,  who  only  exhibited  a  kind 
of  dramatic  public  worship;  he  even  said  grace  at  meals. 
Strange  vagar}^  of  the  human  mind  1  I  now  took  out 
the  volume,  informed  my  companion  of  its  character,  and 
after  some  deliberation  we  decided  to  throw  it  into  the 
river,  not  in  the  scriptural  spirit  of  cai^ting  our  bread 
vpnn  tJir  ivalcrs  in  the  hope  of  finding  it  after  many 
dag.^.  Tlius  perish  every  fragment  of  such  pernicious 
barren  knowledge,  which,  like  the  fruit  of  the  forbidden 
tree,  can  bring  nothing  but  death  and  misery  to  the  par- 
takers ! 

Tlie  river  was  in  fine  order  for  navigation  ;  the  sky 
unclouded  blue ;  winter  had  passed  oil',  and  "  recalled  his 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF   THE    WEST.  177 

ruffian  blasts,"  yet  the  forests  still  appeared  naked  and 
leafless.  As  we  glided  swiftly  along,  my  companion,  to 
whom  everything  was  new  and  striking,  amused  me  by 
his  remarks,  while  I  endeavored  to  catch  some  recollec- 
tion of  my  first  voyage ;  but  excepting  Legionville,  the 
camp  of  General  Wayne  in  1T92,  I  saw  nothing  I  could 
remember.  In  place  of  the  interminable  wilderness,  cul- 
tivated spots,  cottages  and  farms,  pleasantly  situated, 
frequently  attracted  our  attention.  Not  thinking  it  pru- 
dent in  this  part  of  the  river  to  float  during  the  night,  it 
was  resolved  to  encamp,  which  was  accordingly  done, 
and  fire  kindled  in  order  to  prepare  our  evening  meal. 
It  fell  to  me  to  make  tea ;  but  to  my  surprise,  when  I 
made  the  attempt,  I  actually  found  that  I  did  not  know 
how.  I  filled  the  coffee  pot  with  boiling  water,  and  then 
put  a  handful  of  leaves  into  it,  but  they  remained  on  the 
top,  and  refused  to  sink  in  spite  of  all  I  could  do.  The 
captain  discovering  my  embarrassment  made  me  empty 
the  vessel,  and  try  the  experiment  under  his  directions ; 
and  for  the  benefit  of  young  gentlemen  of  the  bar,  who 
may  not  be  practically  acquainted  with  the  process,  I 
will  explain  it.  The  tea,  about  two  tablespoonfuls  to  a 
quart,  mu.st  first  be  put  in  the  vessel,  and  then  a  small 
quantity  of  boiling  water  poured  on  it ;  the  tea  is  never 
so  good  unless  the  water  is  boiling.  After  drawing  a  few 
minutes,  water  may  then  be  poured  upon  it,  as  the  infu- 
sion may  be  wanted  for  use,  and  in  the  proportion  re- 
quired. As  to  the  rest,  each  one  cooked  his  own  beef- 
steak, which  was  placed  on  the  end  of  a  sharp-i)ointed 
stick ;  and  in  my  opinion  this  primitive  broil  is  sui)erior 
to  the  best  ragout,  roast  or  fry,  or  fricassee  or  fricandeau 
in  the  world. 

A  knowledge  of  cookery  is  not  to  be  despised  by  the 

16 


1Y8  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

most  independent  traveler  ;  and  who  knows  where  it  may- 
be necessary  for  him  to  travel  ?  French  gentlemen  often 
consider  it  an  accomplishment  to  make  a  good  soup  or 
ragout ;  but  there  are  some  exceptions,  according  to  an 
anecdote  which  I  heard  that  amiable  and  accomplished 
officer,  General  Bernard,  relate.  A  French  general  in  the 
unfortunate  campaign  of  Russia  was  taken  prisoner  by  a 
Cossack  chief,  who  recognized  in  him  his  host  on  some 
former  occasion.  "Ah!"  said  he,  "you  are  the  officer  at 
whose  table  I  partook  of  so  many  good  things."  "Do 
not  speak  of  it,"  said  the  French  officer,  delighted  with 
the  recognition,  and  supposing  it  would  insure  him  favor- 
able treatment.  "  But  I  will,"  said  the  chief,  "  and  you 
shall  be  my  cook."  "  Your  cook  !"  exclaimed  the  French- 
man. "Yes — and  so  show  him  to  the  kitchen."  The 
poor  officer  demurred ;  declaring  upon  his  honor  that  he 
had  no  knowledge  of  cookery,  and  could  not  prepare  the 
simplest  dish.  But  the  Cossack,  not  disposed  to  lose  time 
in  argument  with  a  mere  prisoner,  ordered  the  knout  to 
be  administered,  when  the  French  officer  agreed  to  make 
a  trial,  but  with  so  little  success  that  when  his  cookery 
made  its  appearance  the  number  of  blows  on  the  soles  of 
his  feet  was  doubled — and  so  on  a  second  and  third  time; 
when  at  last,  finding  it  a  matter  of  life  and  death,  he  was 
so  fortunate  as  to  please  the  savage  epicure. 

Before  the  dawn  of  day  the  boat  was  again  adrift,  and 
before  evening  we  reached  the  town  of  Wheeling.  The 
intermediate  space  between  this  place  and  Pittsburg  will 
long  continue  to  be  the  wildest  and  rudest  part  of  the 
Ohio.  The  hills  are  high  and  steep,  the  river  bottom 
comparatively  narrow,  and  the  river  itself  rapid  and  tor- 
tuous On  the  Rhine,  in  such  places,  terraced  vineyards 
and  ancient  castles  would  exhibit  those  romantic  scenes 
depicted  by  Mrs.  Radcliffe.     There  are,  however,  a  num- 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  If  9 

ber  of  beautiful  islands,  whfch  in  time  will  be  highly  cul- 
tivated and  ornamented. 

From  Wheeling-,  the  river  and  its  borders  undergo 
an  almost  instantaneous  change.  The  hills  rapidly  sub- 
side, the  flat  lands  become  wider,  the  current  of  the 
river  more  gentle  and  regular,  and  cultivation  smiles  on 
its  banks.  Peace,  civilization,  and  the  cheerful  sound 
of  the  human  voice  have  taken  the  place  of  the  frightful 
savage  wilderness,  of  the  nightly  howling  of  the  wolf,  and 
the  mid-day  terrors  of  the  Indian  scalping-knife.  After 
all  that  has  been  said  about  the  children  of  nature  and  the 
])oauty  of  the  primitive  forest,  may  it  not  be  more  agreea- 
ble to  the  Divinity,  as  well  as  more  conducive  to  human 
happiness,  that  the  earth  shall  be  inhabited  by  rational 
creatures,  cultivating  all  the  arts  that  elevate  the  human 
character  ?  If  this  be  answered  in  the  afi&rmative,  then  I 
will  say  we  ought  not  to  regret  that  the  somber  forest  has 
given  way  to  cheerful  landscapes,  and  that  ferocious 
beasts  of  prey  and  the  exterminating  Indian  have  retired, 
while  their  places  have  been  supplied  by  Christian  people 
and  domestic  herds. 

When  we  left  Pittsburg,  the  spring  had  not  yet  begun, 
in  the  language  of  Burns,  "  to  unfold  her  robes ;"  but  as 
we  descended,  and  gained  a  milder  climate,  both  by  less- 
ening our  elevation  and  by  the  southern  direction  of  the 
course  of  the  river,  we  were  continually  meeting  some  in- 
dication of  the  vernal  season.  One  morning  the  buds  of 
the  sugar-tree  seemed  swelled  and  of  a  reddish  hue — the 
next,  the  red-bud*  displayed  its  delicate  pink  blossom 
among  the  naked  trees.  As  the  moon  shone  brightly, 
and  the  air  was  mild  and  soft,  we  passed  the  night  on  the 
little  deck,  the  boat  gliding  gently  along  like  a  summer 

*  Red-bud  is  the  common  name  of  a  beautiful  shrub. 


180  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

evening's  dream  in  ladj^'s  bower,  the  mocking-bird  the 
while  enchanting  the  listening  silence  with  his  matchless 
notes.  It  is  a  mistake  to  sa}^  that  in  this  country,  poetrj, 
like  the  silkworm,  has  nothing  to  feed  upon,  from  which 
it  can  produce  its  rich  and  glossy  thread.  A  Burns  or  a 
Byron  would  tell  a  different  tale.  Wilson  the  ornitholo- 
gist has  shown  it ;  as  to  Chateaubriand  and  Tom  Moore, 
the  one  bedizened  the  subject  like  a  coxcomb,  and  the 
other  is  a  cracked  diamond,  in  whose  sentiment  or  nature 
we  shall  always  find  a  flaw.  For  instance,  how  could  he 
talk  of  the  "hollow  beech-tree,"  when  such  a  thing  is 
never  known,'and  the  sumach  dipping  its  red  berries  in 
the  gush  of  the  fountain,  when,  instead  of  dipping,  it 
stands  up  as  straight  and  as  stiff  as  the  cockade  of  a  gren- 
adier ? 

The  borders  of  the  river  had  already  put  on  the  livery 
of  Robin  Hood  before  we  arrived  at  Marietta,  a  pretty 
town,  situated  on  a  point  at  the  mouth  of  the  Muskingum ; 
and  at  this  time  one  of  the  most  important  on  the  Ohio. 
It  was  a  handsome  town  when  I  first  saw  it,  but  it  had 
much  improved  both  in  the  style  and  number  of  its  build- 
ings. Some  ten  or  twelve  miles  below  this,  we  came  in 
sight  of  the  Island  of  Blennerhasset.  There  was  a  purple 
haze  upon  the  waters  and  on  the  land,  softening  the  scene 
into  the  mellow  landscape,  but  cither  bank  of  the  river  was 
destitute  of  any  striking  natural  objects,  there  being  neither 
rocks  nor  hills:  the  giant  sycamore  and  lofty  sugar-trees 
may  be  considered  exceptions  to  my  remark.  The  island 
and  its  embellishments  were  seen  to  the  greatest  advant- 
age. The  clean,  naked  pebbly  beach  divided  the  stream 
in  nearly  equal  parts;  and  beyond  it  the  elegant  mansion, 
painted  white,  was  half  hidden  among  the  trees,  partly 
native,  which  had  submitted  to  the  hand  of  art,  and  partly 
exotic,  such  as  the  Lombardy  poplar  and  weeping  willow. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  181 

The  larg-e  gateway  and  the  tasteful  shrubbery  heightened 
the  scene,  looking  like  what  the  islands  of  the  Ohio  may 
be  a  century  hence.  It  looked  more  like  a  vision  of  the 
future  than  a  real  landscape  in  the  yet  infant  West,  and 
in  keeping  with  the  wild  scenery  of  nature.  Such  im- 
provements are  too  far  in  advance  of  the  state  of  society  ; 
they  are  costly  to  the  owner,  because  they  add  nothing  to 
the  intrinsic  value,  and  wealth  is  yet  too  scarce  to  pay  so 
high  for  the  gratifications  of  taste  and  the  love  of  elegance. 
The  fifty  thousand  dollars  expended  on  this  property 
would  not  have  produced  more  than  two  or  three  thou- 
sand on  the  sale  of  it,  unless  by  mere  accident  some  other 
person  of  wealth  happened  to  come,  who  wa.4  possessed 
of  the  same  fancy,  and  was  equally  regardless  of  calcula- 
tion. It  was  said  by  a  witness,  on  the  trial  of  Burr,  who 
was  questioned  as  to  the  character  of  Blennerhasset,  ''that 
he  had  every  kind  of  sense  but  common  sense."  The  re- 
mark is  true  so  far,  that  he  had  not  directed  his  attention 
sufficiently  to  the  business  of  common  life  ;  and  having 
formed  his  habits  in  a  country  which  had  already  attained 
the  highest  degree  of  advancement  in  social  polish  and  re- 
finement, with  aristocratic  feelings  at  war  with  his  demo- 
cratic opinions,  he  did  not  correctly  estimate  the  differ- 
ence of  places  and  persons.  The  unfortunate  family  had 
left  the  place  where  they  had  passed  several  years  in  pur- 
suit of  happiness  by  embellishing  nature,  having  been 
disappointed  in  finding  it  in  the  taste  and  polish  and 
refinement  of  society,  at  least  in  accordance  with  their 
notions  and  preconceived  opinions.  The  spot  will  alwa3"s 
recall  the  passage  in  the  speech  of  the  elegant  Wirt; 
which,  as  to  the  character  and  motives  of  Blennerhasset 
and  his  lady,  is  almost  entirely  fanciful,  while  his  descrip- 
tion of  the  place,  which  he  had  never  seen,  is  a  beautiful 
touch  of  the  romantic,  drawn  from  his  own  teeming  imag- 

16* 


182  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

ination.  The  situation  of  the  accomplished  pair  was  not 
that  of  Adam  and  Eve  in  Paradise,  nor  was  Burr  a  Satan 
as  to  them.  He  found  them  discontented  ;  unpleasant  feel- 
ings had  been  experienced  by  them,  and  disappointment 
had  ensued.  The  error  was  in  their  own  minds ;  in 
their  preconceived  notions  of  the  people  and  country  of 
America,  and  in  their  uncongenial  habits  and  ideas. 

Blennerhasset  resided  in  Pittsburg  a  year  before  he 
went  down  the  Ohio,  and  was  more  intimate  with  my 
father  than  with  any  other  person  in  America.  They 
thought  alike  in  politics,  and  the  politics  of  Blennerhasset 
were  such  as  almost  to  exclude  him  from  the  society  of 
the  first  families  in  town,  to  whom  the  ver}^  name  of  a 
United  Irishman,  at  that  time,  was  hellebore.  He  was 
undoubtedly  a  fine  sample  of  the  polished  Irish  gentle- 
man, and  his  lady  was  both  beautiful  and  accomplished. 
When  I  last  saw  him,  some  years  afterward,  at  the  vil- 
lage of  Gibsonport,  Mississippi,  in  company  with  his  lady, 
he  appeared  to  have  changed  his  opinions  entirely ;  she 
was  always  aristocratic  in  her  feelings,  and  I  believe  they 
both  sincerely  regretted  ever  having  touched  the  shores  of 
America.  The  English  nobility  and  gentry,  if  they  will 
come,  should  remain  in  our  cities,  and  keep  away  from 
the  backwoods ;  they  are  as  little  fitted  for  the  situation 
as  the  wild  Indian  is  for  city  life. 

The  next  morning  we  passed  Letart's  Falls,  having 
passed  several  villages  during  the  night,  and  also  some 
considerable  streams,  and  among  others  that  one  which 
bears 

"  The  name  so  shocking 
Of  IIock-Hock-Uocking." 

As  this  was  the  Sal)bath,  the  banks,  chiefly  on  the  Ohio 
side,  were  alive  with  people  going  to  or  returning  from 
places  of  worship,  or  seated  in  groups  in  their  best  apparel. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  183 

On  the  Virginia  side,  instead  of  seeing  dwellings,  we  saw 
occasionally  houses  of  more  ambitious  structure,  but  un- 
finished, and  already  showing  marks  of  decay;  while 
much  of  the  river  bottoms  was  still  unimproved.  What 
a  contrast  with  the  uninhabited  banks  of  the  beautiful 
river  when  I  first  saw  them, — when  the  howl  of  the  wolf, 
or  the  hooting  of  the  owl,  were  enough  to  strike  terror  into 
the  heart  of  the  voyager,  fearing  that  these  might  be  the 
telegraphic  sounds  of  Indians  preparing  to  attack  him  ! 

As  we  passed  Point  Pleasant,  and  the  little  island 
below  it,  Gallipolis,  which  I  looked  for  with  anxious 
feelings,  hove  in  sight.  I  thought  of  the  French  in- 
habitants—  I  thought  of  my  friend  Saugrain,  and  I 
recalled,  in  the  liveliest  colors,  the  incidents  of  that 
portion  of  my  life  which  was  passed  here.  A  year  is  a 
long  time  at  that  period — every  day  is  crowded  with  new, 
and  great,  and  striking  events.  When  the  boat  landed, 
I  ran  up  the  bank,  and  looked  around ;  but,  alas !  how 
changed !  The  Americans  had  taken  the  town  in  hand, 
and  no  trace  of  antiquity,  that  is  of  twelve  years  ago,  re- 
mained. I  hastened  to  the  spot  where  I  expected  to  find 
the  abode,  the  little  log-house,  tavern,  laboratory,  and 
garden  of  the  doctor;  but  they  had  vanished  like  the 
palace  of  Aladdin.  After  some  inquiry  I  found  a  little 
Frenchman,  who,  like  the  old  woman  of  Goldsmith's 
Village,  was  "  the  sad  historian  of  the  deserted  plain" — 
that  is,  deserted  by  one  race  to  be  peopled  by  another. 
He  led  me  to  where  a  few  logs  might  be  seen,  as  the  only 
remains  of  the  once  happy  tenement  which  had  sheltered 
me — but  all  around  it  was  a  common  ;  the  town  had  taken 
a  different  direction.  My  heart  sickened  ;  the  picture 
which  ray  imagination  had  drawn — the  scenes  which  ray 
meraory  loved  to  cherish  were  blotted  out  and  obliterated. 
A  volume  of  reminiscences  seemed  to  be  annihilated  in 


184  BRACKENRIDGWS 

an  instant !  I  took  a  hasty  glance  at  the  new  town  as  I 
returned  to  the  boat.  I  saw  brick  houses,  painted  frames, 
fanciful  inclosures,  ornamental  trees!  Even  the  pond, 
which  had  carried  off  a  third  of  the  French  population 
by  its  malaria,  had  disappeared,  and  a  pretty  green  had 
usurped  its  place,  with  a  neat  brick  court-house  in  the 
midst  of  it.  This  was  too  much  ;  I  hastened  my  pace, 
and  with  sorrow  once  more  pushed  into  the  stream. 


CHAPTER    XIX. 

A  Disturbance  in  the  "Wigwam — Xew  Madrid — An  interesting 
Family — Late  News  of  Braddock's  Defeat — St.  Genevieve — 
An  Incident  worthy  of  Eomance. 

As  I  am  not  writing  a  tour,  minute  descriptions  of 
every  duck  puddle  or  broken  pane  of  glass  will  not  be 
looked  for.  It  Avill  be  expected,  however,  that  I  should 
take  some  notice  of  Cincinnati,  which,  thirteen  years 
before,  was  covered  with  the  native  forest,  excepting  the 
space  occupied  by  a  rude  encampment.  I  now  found  it 
a  beautiful  little  city  in  the  midst  of  a  highly  cultivated 
country.  I  went  up  to  the  market,  which  I  found  equal 
in  goodness  to  that  of  Philadelphia,  but  much  cheaper. 
A  turkey  may  be  had  for  sixteen  cents,  and  if  thought 
too  high,  a  goose  will  be  offered  into  the  bargain.  The 
wonderful  and  ahnost  magical  change  which  had  taken 
place  here  gave  me  pleasure  ;  for  there  were  no  objects 
which,  as  at  Gallipolis,  were  associated  with  the  deep 
impressions  made  on  my  l)oyish  mind.  Louisville  had 
also  become  a  handsome  town  ;  and  thus  far  the  curtain 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  185 

of  the  wilderness  may  be  said  to  have  been  lifted  up ; 
but  farther  down,  the  Ohio  was  still  the  abode  of  solitude 
and  gloom. 

I  will  describe  a  phenomenon  which  we  beheld  a  few 
days  after  Teaving  Louisville,  but  which,  I  fear,  will  tax 
the  credulity  of  the  reader.  It  was  not  a  sea-serpent, 
but  something  almost  as  difficult  to  believe.  In  a  part 
of  the  river  where  the  vision  extended  at  least  ten  miles 
down,  after  daybreak  (weather  rainy  the  night  before, 
and  then  drizzling),  the  whole  heavens  to  the  edge  of  the 
horizon  were  covered  and  concealed  bv  a  flis-ht  of  wild 
pigeons,  and  remained  so  for  upwards  of  two  hours,  until 
we  readied  the  lower  part  of  the  long  view.  During  the 
whole  of  the  day  immense  flocks  continued  to  pass.  Ac- 
cording to  my  computation  the  principal  flock  was  at  least 
(if  we  allow  a  mile  a  minute  to  the  flight  of  the  pigeon) 
ten  miles  in  width,  by  one  hundred  and  twenty  in  length! 
If  each  pigeon  occupied  one  foot  square,  there  will  be 
sufficient  data  to  compute  the  number  of  the  whole.  I 
leave  the  matter  in  the  hands  of  the  schoolmaster,  who 
may  give  it  as  an  exercise  to  his  scholars. 

The  captain  stopped  at  the  mouth  of  the  "Wabash, 
where  he  expected  to  find  a  boat  ready  to  take  part  of  his 
freight  intended  for  Vincennes,  an  old  French  town  up 
this  river.  We  were  detained  here  three  or  four  days  and 
nights — but  such  nights  and  days  may  I  never  see  again! 
The  mosquitoes  fell  upon  us  like  a  shower  of  burning 
coals.  We  stewed  ourselves  under  blankets,  and  tried 
the  virtue  of  smoke  to  no  purpose.  The  very  next  morn- 
ing after  our  arrival,  poor  Greaves's  face  was  swollen  as 
if  he  had  taken  the  small-pox ;  and  from  that  moment  the 
strawberry  and  cream  left  his  cheeks — his  mother's  son 
became  as  sallow  complected  and  as  spotted  as  a  H(junder. 
The  captain's  tough  hide,  leathern  doublet  and  Suwarrow 


186  ^^-4  CKENRID  GE'S 

boots  rendered  their  attacks  harmless  to  him  ;  and  I 
escaped  much  better  than  I  otherwise  should  by  having 
the  young  Irishman  as  a  bed-fellow,  as  the  cannibals 
found  his  flesh  more  tender,  and  more  appetizing. 

It  was  a  joyful  moment  when  we  took  leave  of  the 
Wabash,  and  w^ere  again  on  the  bosom  of  the  majestic 
Ohio,  now  occupying  a  broad  expanse ;  the  banks  lined 
with  unbroken  forests ;  the  tre^s  occupying  ground  per- 
fectly level ;  and  their  tops  as  even  as  a  clipped  hedge — 
but  such  a  hedge  as  might  be  looked  for  in  the  country 
of  the  Brobdignags.  Our  captain  now  made  known  his 
intention  to  settle  at  New  Madrid,  and  open  a  store  or 
shop ;  and  became  all  at  once  exceedingly  desirous  to 
save  us  the  trouble  of  preparing  our  food,  which  duty 
he  took  entirely  on  -himself.  Under  this  pretense  he  took 
possession  of  the  provisions;  and,  instead  of  tea  and 
coffee,  thenceforth  gave  us  nothing  but  insipid  cakes  of 
indian-meal,  fried  with  a  little  fat  bacon.  When  we  ven- 
tured to  murmur,  he  showed  us  his  teeth  and  his  pistols. 
The  remainder  of  the  voyage,  which  was  fortunately  not 
long,  proved  very  uncomfortable.  Greaves  was  pacific 
from  principle ;  and  the  case  being  remediless,  I  was 
obliged  to  submit  to  this  piece  of  petty  roguery  in  silence. 
If  we  had  resolved  to  resort  to  violence,  we  were  both 
unarmed.  I  had  made  a  determination  never  to  carry 
.arms  about  me  in  a  peaceful  country,  not  even  a  dirk,  the 
common  accompaniment  of  the  young  men  of  the  West  at 
that  time,  although  a  happy  change  has  since  taken  place. 
If  attacked,  I  trusted  to  Providence  for  weapons  of 
defense  ;  and  if  unsuccessful,  the  blame  must  rest  on  the 
civil  institutions  of  the  country,  which  would  have  failed 
to  do  their  duty.  I  could  not  reconcile  it  to  my  notions 
of  propriety  to  invite  an  attack  by  appearing  to  be  pre- 
pared to  meet  it.     The  despicable  meanness  and  low  cun- 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  187 

ning  of  our  commander  put  an  end  to  all  conversation 
between  us ;  and  when  we  reached  Xew  Madrid, 
Greaves  and  I  instantly  leaped  on  shore,  and  took  our 
baggage  to  a  public  house,  without  saying  a  word  to  him. 
He,  no  doubt,  laughed  in  his  sleeve  at  us ;  although  a 
stupid  boor,  he  chuckled  at  the  idea  of  having  outwitted 
a  lawyer  and  a  young  merchant !  Cunning  is  the  wisdom 
of  fools  ;  but  it  is  only  a  quarter  nag — it  may  run  its  little 
race,  but  will  not  stand  the  heats  :  it  cannot  repeat.  My 
young  friend  w^as  so  fortunate  as  to  obtain  a  passage  the 
next  day,  and  we  took  leave  of  each  other  with  sincere 
regret. 

In  a  day  or  two  after  the  boat  had  been  discharged,  the 
young  farmer,  and  Bill  Hulings,  who  had  expressed  a 
wish  to  accompany  me  through  the  wilderness,  called 
upon  me  with  a  serious  complaint  against  their  employer. 
He  refused  to  refund  to  the  first  the  small  sum  of  money 
placed  in  his  hands,  in  my  presence,  for  safe  keeping,  and 
had  also  refused  to  pay  Bill  his  wages.  I  advised  them 
to  go  once  more  to  him,  and  to  tell  him  plainly  they 
would  repair  to  a  justice  of  the  peace,  unless  he  did  them 
justice  of  his  own  accord.  They  followed  my  directions, 
and  meeting  nothing  but  abuse  and  insult,  proceeded  to 
the  oflBce  of  the  cadi,  alcalde  or  justice,  who  acted  so 
promptly  that  I  was  summoned  almost  instanter  as  a 
witness  on  the  trial.  It  was  a  plain  case,  the  facts  were 
scarcely  denied,  and  but  for  the  insolent  and  ruffianly 
deportment  of  the  captain,  and  the  presence  of  a  crowd 
which,  on  account  of  this  or  some  other  affair  had  been 
collected  before  the  justice,  the  cause  would  have  passed 
off  without  further  difficulty.  But  the  decision  had  no 
sooner  been  pronounced,  than  the  defendant,  who  had 
been  grinilLng  his  teeth  all  the  while  like  an  enraged  bear, 
broke  out  upon  me  in  the  most  abusive  manner,  assailing 


188  BRACKENRTDGE'S 

me  with  a  volley  of  vulgar  epithets,  to  the  surprise  and 
disgust  of  every  one  present.  When  checked  by  the 
magistrate,  he  left  the  office,  and  returned  in  a  few 
moments,  and  met  me  a  few  paces  from  the  door,  with 
two  large  butcher-knives,  which  he  placed  at  my  feet,  and 
bade  me  make  choice.  My  feelings  had  been  those  of 
pity  and  contempt ;  I  now  felt  disgust  mingled  with  hor- 
ror, at  the  infamous  proposal.  The  justice  in  the  mean 
time  came  out,  commanded  him  to  depart  on  pain  of  being 
sent  instantly  to  prison,  and  called  his  officer  to  carry  his 
order  into  execution.  Our  hero  now  sneaked  off,  and  the 
justice  took  me  by  the  arm  and  led  me  into  his  house. 
He  insisted  on  my  remaining  to  breakfast,  which  was  a 
little  later  than  usual,  in  consequence  of  the  business  of 
the  morning.  Mr.  Humphreys,  such  was  the  name  of 
the  gentleman,  treated  me  on  this  occasion  in  the  hand- 
somest manner,  and  among  the  things  treasured  up  in  my 
memory  this  is  one  which  I  recur  to  with  real  pleasm-e. 
We  had  a  neat  and  comfortable  breakfast;  in  the  course 
of  it  an  incident  occurred  which  was  truly  gratif3dng  to 
me.  "  From  your  name,  sir,"  said  he,  "  may  I  ask 
whether  you  are  related  to  the  author  of  'Modern 
Chivalry?'"  I  felt  an  indescribable  emotion  when  the 
question  was  put,  and  replied  with  a  degree  of  satisfac- 
tion which  was  not  concealed,  "Sir,  I  am  his  son." — 
"What!"  said  he,  "the  son  of  the  author  of  'Modern 
Chivalry  I' "  The  exclamation  reminded  me  of  the  honor 
done  to  Grotius,  although  that  sage  had  the  satisfaction 
of  enjoying  it  in  person. 

Mr.  Humphreys  then  made  various  friendly  inquiries, 
gave  me  his  advice,  tendered  me  his  purse,  and  insisted 
on  my  taking  his  horse,  although  the  distance  was  up- 
wards of  two  hundred  miles,  and  there  was  no  certainty 
of  returning  him.     The  oiler  of  the  horse  was  gratefully 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  189 

accepted;  'I  sent  for  the  two  boatmen  and  transported  my 
bag'g^age  to  the  bouse  of  the  generous  magistrate.  We 
made  two  bundles  with  as  many  blankets,  filled  with  such 
articles  as  were  most  needed,  and  slung  them  on  the 
horse;  I  then  shook  hands  with  my  new  friend  and 
walked  forward,  leaving  my  companions  to  follow  me 
with  the  baggage. 

As  I  walked  along,  my  mind  reverted  to  the  scenes  of 
the  morning,  and  instead  of  being  calmed  by  reflection 
gradually  became  heated,  while  a  feeling  of  resentment 
sprang  up  in  my  bosom  which  I  had  not  felt  before.  This 
was,  doubtless,  the  mechanical  effect  of  motion  under  a 
warm  sun.  The  challenge  to  fight,  be  it  with  the  murder- 
ous knife,  stuck  in  my  throat,  and  I  began  to  reproach 
myself  for  not  having  accepted  it.  In  this  mood,  after 
having  proceeded  a  few  miles,  I  was  overtaken  by  the 
men,  who  immediately  communicated  to  me  exaggerated 
accounts  of  the  proceedings  of  the  captain,  who  had  gone 
before  the  tavern  door  and  proclaimed  me  pettifogger, 
swindler,  and  coward!  Yes,  coward!  that  term  of  re- 
proach which,  in  the  West,  included  at  that  time  every 
other.  I  threw  down  my  cloak  and  hastened  back  to  the 
town ;  and  by  the  time  I  reached  it,  what  with  the  heat 
of  the  sun,  the  quickened  circulation  of  the  blood,  and  the 
workings  of  the  mind,  my  brain  was  on  fire.  Fortunately, 
the  first  person  I  met  was  Mr.  Humphreys,  who  instantly 
perceived  my  situation,  and  almost  by  force  led  me  into 
the  public  house  and  detained  me  until  I  drank  a  cool 
glass  of  lemonade  and  became  a  little  composed.  He 
then  represented  to  me  the  impropriety  of  my  placing 
myself  on  a  footing  with  a  ruffian,  who  had  shown  him- 
self unworthy  the  notice  of  any  man  who  had  a  proper 
respect  for  himself  "As  to  his  denunciations  and  his 
declarations  that  you  had  suddenly  left  town    through 

17 


190  BRA  CKENRID  GU'S 

fear  of  him,  they  will  be  set  right  by  your  dining"  at  my 
hoQse,  and  taking  a  walk  with  me  round  the  town,  while 
I  will  introduce  you  to  some  particular  friends."  I  was 
induced  to  place  myself  entirely  in  the  hands  of  one  who 
had  shown  me  so  much  friendship  on  so  short  an  acquaint- 
ance, and  I  had  no  reason  to  repent  of  my  determination. 
I  was  aware  that  I  was  now  in  a  country  where  every 
transgression,  every  defect  of  character,  could  more 
readily  be  passed  over  than  a  deficiency  of  personal 
courage,  and  I  was  but  too  well  convinced  that  such  a 
stigma  would  put  an  end  to  all  my  hopes  of  profesisional 
and  political  advancement.  Better  to  come  with  "  twenty 
mortal  murders"  on  my  head — with  fifty  burglaries,  than 
be  suspected  of  that  one  weakness,  of  not  being  able  *'  to 
look  on  blood  and  carnage  with  composure." 

The  dinner  party,  which  Avas  a  mixed  one  of  French 
and  Americans,  passed  off  pleasantly ;  the  cup  of  coffee 
being  the  signal  to  retire  to  the  porch,  according  to  the 
Creole  custom,  to  smoke  the  cigar,  I  made  my  excuse, 
and  set  out  on  my  journey,  after  shaking  hands  with  my 
host  and  his  company. 

Relieved  fi'om  the  burden  which  had  pressed  on  my 
mind  almost  to  madness,  like  Telemachus  on  quitting  the 
infernal  regions,  I  proceeded  in  pursuit  of  my  companions 
with  a  light  elastic  tread.  It  had  been  agreed  that  they 
should  wait  for  me  at  a  new  settler's  house  eight  miles 
off,  which  had  been  indicated  to  us  at  our  departure  in 
the  morning,  there  being  no  stopping-place  beyond  it  for 
twenty-five  miles.  It  was  now  near  the  latter  part  of  May — 
the  weather  in  this  latitude  exceedingly  warm,  although, 
as  the  day  declines,  the  air  grows  cool  and  fresh.  At 
night,  fires  are  found  necessary  to  comfort.  On  leaving 
the  town,  for  the  first  mile  or  two,  my  course  lay  through 
woods  of  surprising  luxuriance,  over  a  level  plain  of  loose 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  191 

rich  loam,  where  there  was  nothing  to  enliven  the  scene 
but  the  endless  variety  and  exuberance  of  the  vegetable 
kingdom.  Just  as  the  sun  was  sinking  below  the  horizon, 
I  entered  one  of  those  beautiful  glades,  or  natural 
meadows,  or  prairies,  often  seen  in  this  part  of  the  world, 
and  never  without  producing  an  agreeable  feeling.  The 
storm  of  the  passions  had  entirely  subsided  in  my  breast, 
and  I  felt  that  calmness  and  serenity  of  the  soul  most  in 
unison  with  such  a  scene.  The  objects  which  had  at- 
tracted ray  attention  in  passing  along,  had  contributed  to 
calm  my  mind,  and  glad  fancy  plumed  her  wing  for  a 
flight  to  scenes  of  ideal  enjoyment  and  pleasure.  In  this 
state  of  mind,  I  suddenly  emerged  from  the  dark  forest 
of  towering  trees  and  interwoven  vines.  I  gazed  with 
delight  on  the  smooth,  soft  grass,  on  the  rich  variety  of 
flowers,  on  the  scattered  shrubberies  of  sumach,  retaining 
the  red  berries  of  the  preceding  year,  and  on  the  embow- 
ering woods,  at  some  distance  on  either  hand,  which 
inclosed  this  garden  of  the  Dryads  and  Hamadryads. 
The  open  space,  too,  in  which  I  now  found  myself, 
seemed  to  impart  a  corresponding  feeling  of  freedom  and 
expansion  to  the  thoughts  and  feelings.  How  serene 
the  heavenly  vault  above  my  head !  How  rich  and 
varied  the  tissues  of  the  carpet  under  my  feet,  woven  by 
the  fantastic  hand  of  nature !  Cold  is  the  heart  which 
does  not  sympathize  with  our  universal  mother,  when 
thus  she  seems  to  smile  upon  her  children. 

It  was  night  when  I  reached  the  farther  end  of  the 
glade,  and  then  entered  a  deep  wood,  where  the  massy 
foliage  almost  shut  out  the  twinkling  light  of  the  stars. 
There  w^as  no  risk  of  straying  from  the  beaten  track,  for 
the  trees  and  vines  on  each  side  formed  an  impervious 
hedge.  After  traveling,  as  I  supposed,  a  couple  of  miles 
in  this  way,  I  heard  the  barking  of  dogs,  which  had 


192  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

scented  my  approach  ;  and  it  was  heard  with  the  pleasure 
which  the  sound  always  gives  to  the  benighted  traveler. 
As  I  drew  near  the  cabin,  I  discovered  a  group  of  persons 
of  different  ages  and  sexes,  seated  round  a  fire  which  was 
burning  under  an  enormous  tree.     "  Here  he   comes," 
cried  out  several  voices  at  once — for  the  whole  party  had 
been   looking  for  me  with   some    anxiety.     The  settler 
came  forward  and  led  me  to  the  circle,  with  every  expres- 
sion of  welcome,  while   the   dogs,   fierce    at   first,  now 
whined  as  if  they  would  second  the  benevolence  of  their 
master.     The  invitation  was  gladly  accepted  ;  for  by  this 
time    I  was  chilled  by  the    cold  dews  of  the  night.     I 
found  my  companions  seated  in  the  midst  of  the  family, 
and  quite  at  home.     The  family  consisted  of  the  mother 
and  fourteen  children  ;  the  oldest  a  young  woman  about 
eighteen,  the  youngest  an  infant ;  all  apparently  glowing 
with  health.     I  made  an  acquaintance  in  a  few  minutes 
with  some  half  dozen  flaxen-haired  rogues,   answering 
their   questions,  and   requiring  them   to   answer  mine. 
The  primitive  innocence  and  simplicity  which  prevailed 
in  this  family  seemed  almost  without  alloy.     ^\\qj  were 
neatly  dressed,  and  looked  more  like  a  party  of  pleasure 
than  a  family  taking  refuge  in  the  wild  from  the  gripe  of 
poverty  and  want.     Looking  around,  I  found  myself  in 
the  midst  of  the  woods,  with  the  exception  of  the  small 
space  which  had  been  cleared  to  make  room  for  the  cabin, 
which  was  built  of  rough  logs,  the  spaces  still  open. 

Our  horse  had  been  tethered,  and  a  bundle  of  reeds  cut 
for  him.  I  entered  into  conversation  with  our  host,  who 
appeared  much  better  informed  than  the  generality  of 
settlers.  He  was  a  native  of  the  State  of  Connecticut, 
where  he  had  sold  a  small  i)roperty  for  the  i)urpose  of  re- 
moving to  Ohio,  in  order  that  he  might  be  better  able  to 
provide  for  his  growing  family ;  but  finding  his  means 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  193 

inadequate,  or  hearing  very  favorable  accounts  of  the  new 
countries  west  of  the  Mi.ssiHsii)pi,  had  continued  his  mi- 
gration to  this  spot.  Here  he  had  settled,  or  according 
to  the  common  phrase  squatted,  on  public  land,  in  the 
hope  of  enjoying  the  bounty  of  the  government  for  his 
enterprise,  or  at  least  of  being  able  to  secure  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  fertile  land  at  a  low  price.  In  the  mean  time 
he  had  neither  rent  nor  taxes  to  pay,  and  was  exempt 
from  many  of  those  duties  which  are  necessary  in  old  set- 
tlements and  close  neighborhoods. 

Being  called  to  supper,  we  all  entered  the  cabin,  where 
the  table  was  spread  and  rough  benches  placed  around  it. 
A  tin  cup  full  of  rich  milk  was  placed  before  each  of  us, 
while  cakes  of  the  indian-meal  were  smoking  on  the 
board.  The  good  man  said  grace  in  a  reverent  manner, 
and  we  did  ample  justice  to  the  simple  and  wholesome 
fare.  Surrounded  hy  health,  innocence,  and  benevolence, 
who,  unless  it  were  Satan  himself,  or  some  of  his  emissa- 
ries, could  fail  to  be  pleased  and  thankful  for  this  hospi- 
tality ? 

When  the  repast  was  finished  and  thanks  returned,  we 
took  our  seats  once  more  beneath  the  spreading  tree,  and 
wbiled  away  an  hour  in  conversation.  The  Yankee  girls 
were  chatty,  and  the  whole  family  were  delighted  with 
our  company  in  this  lonely  place — which  they  had  begun 
to  find  so,  although  not  two  months  since  they  reached 
it.  The  bears  and  wolves  were  their  nearest  neighbors 
and  most  frequent  visitors  !  The  time  for  retiring  to  rest 
having  arrived,  our  host  rose  and  said:  "Friends,  it  is 
the  practice  of  our  family  to  give  half  an  hour  every  even- 
ing to  religious  worship  ;  if  you  think  i)roj>er  you  will 
join  us,  otherwise  remain  where  you  are."  Who  could 
have  declined  such  an  invitation  ?  Politeness  alone,  with 
me,  would  have  been  a  sufficient  motive  ;  Ualph  assented 


1 94  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

from  habit,  as  well  as  religious  feeling  ;  and  even  the 
hardened  boatman  was  overawed  into  an  appearance  of 
sanctity.  I  must  do  myself  the  justice  to  say,  that  I  felt 
a  sincere  desire  to  join  the  family  in  their  good  work. 
We  again  entered  the  cabin,  now,  for  the  time,  the  house 
of  God.  The  family  joined  in  a  sacred  hymn,  after  which 
a  chapter  in  the  Bible  was  read,  and  the  whole  was  con- 
cluded by  an  extempore  prayer  by  the  father  of  the 
family.  The  scene  will  never  pass  from  my  memory — it 
was  a  scene  of  moral  beauty  which  I  have  never  seen 
surpassed.  We  were  shown  our  place  of  rest  in  the  loft, 
and  I  addressed  myself  to  rest,  in  the  hope  that  the 
guardian  angel  of  the  family  might  shelter  me  also  under 
his  protecting  wing. 

I  envy  not  the  feelings  of  t^iat  being  who  is  incapable 
of  reverential  awe,  in  approaching  the  shrine,  where, 
with  decent  humility,  the  sinner  makes  an  offering  to  his 
God  of  an  humble  and  grateful  heart!  May  I  never 
entertain  any  other  sentiment  of  the  salutary  and  blessed 
influence  of  the  Christian  worship,  and  of  its  intrinsic 
value  to  the  human  race,  however  I  may  differ  from 
others  as  to  creeds  and  modes  of  faith.*  The  Christian 
belief  is  the  still  but  not  silent  monitor  which  speaks  in 
gentle  whispers,  where  even  conscience  might  be  lulled 
to  rest,  and  where  the  force  of  human  laws  cannot  pene- 
trate. To  millions  of  my  fellow-creatures  it  is  the  fount- 
ain of  bliss,  of  fortitude,  of  consolation,  of  hope,  of  resig- 
nation, Avhich  philosophy  cannot  supply  nor  insensibility 
procure  ;  and  which  sheds  its  benign  influence  alike  on 
the  weak  and  on  the  strong,  on  the  enlightened  and 
unlettered,  on  the  mighty  and  the  humble,  on  the  rich 

"  For  modes  of  faith  let  graceless  zealots  fight, 
His  can't  bo  wrong  whose  life  is  in  tho  right." 


RECOLLECTIOXS   OF  THE    WEST.  195 

and  on  the  poor — on  all  who  seek  it  and  cherish  it  in  their 
hearts.  What  shall  we  say  of  the  wretched  man  who 
attempts  to  annihilate  this  golden  chain  which  binds  the 
human  soul  to  the  throne  of  the  Almighty?  He  is  worse 
than  the  traitor,  for  he  does  not  rebel  against  an  epheme- 
ral potentate,  but  conspires  against  society  itself ;  he  is 
worse  than  the  robber  or  the  murderer,  for  he  filches 
away  that  which  wealth  cannot  purchase,  and  destroys 
the  hope  of  a  life  eternal  in  the  heavens! 

We  rose  with  the  sun,  and  took  leave  of  the  hospitable 
settler.  During  the  whole  of  the  day  we  traveled  over 
a  perfect  plain,  alternately  prairie  and  open  parks  of  tall 
trees  —  oak,  walnut,  hickory,  mulberry  and  sassafras. 
The  shrubbery  was  arranged  in  borders,  as  if  by  design, 
intermingled  with  the  catalpa,  the  dogwood,  and  sumach. 
The  enameled  meads  were  pastured  here  and  there  by 
groups  of  cattle,  the  ground  in  places  red  with  ripe  straw- 
berries. A  few  cabins  were  seen  at  a  distance,  near  the 
edge  of  the  wood.  We  contrived  to  keep  away  hunger 
until  night,  by  means  of  some  biscuit  and  a  little  dried 
venison  we  had  procured  at  New  Madrid,  and  we  stopped 
DOW  and  then  to  eat  strawberries.  After  crossing  the 
Bis:  Prairie,  we  came  to  a  house,  and  were  well  accom- 
modated  for  the  night 

The  next  day,  after  traveling  about  thirty-five  miles 
over  a  country  somewhat  hilly — at  least  comparatively 
so,  we  made  a  halt  at  the  house  of  a  solitary  settler,  ap- 
pearances promising  but  little,  although  the  settlement 
bore  the  marks  of  some  antiquity.  He  could  not  be  called 
the  old  man  of  the  hill,  like  the  character  in  Tom  Jones  ; 
he  had  a  family,  and  he  informed  us  there  were  several 
sprouts  from  it  not  far  off.  He  might  be  named  the  old 
man  of  the  canebrake,  having  cut  his  way  through  one, 
some  ten  or  fifteen  years  before,  from  tiie  Mississippi. 


19G  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

He  gave  us  some  hog-meat  and  coarse  hominy  for  supper, 
threw  a  bearskin  on  the  ground  for  us,  and  in  the  mean 
time  entertained  us  with  the  latest  and  freshest  news. 
"  You  hearrin  tell,  I  'spose,  of  Braddicks  defeat.     Well,  I 
was  one  o'  them  what  font  there.     I  was  from  Maryland, 
but  most  o'  the  melishy  was  from  Figinny — and  there  was 
Washington,  he  font  like  a  man — and  ye  hearrin  arter 
that,  I  'spose,  how  he  got  head  gineral  o'  the  whole  army. 
Then  he  got  president  o'  the  'Nited  States' — and  arter 
that  I  hearrin  tell  o'  one  John  Adams — but  he  never 
font — whose  president  now,  I  don't  know."     The  names 
of    Jefferson,    or    Madison,    or   even   of    Franklin,   had 
never   reached  him,  because  they  neve?^  font  I     Where 
mere  notoriety  is  popularity,  can  a  man  of  sense  feel  him- 
self flattered  by  it — when  military  fame,  the  lowest  of 
all  kind  of  fame,  yet,  from  its  being  on  a  level  with  the 
vulgar  understanding,  raises  its  possessor  higher  than 
those  qualities  which  might  lift  a  man  to  a  rank  with  the 
angels!     Take  away  from  it  the  share  which  belongs  to 
fortune,  or  the  merit  of  others   w^hich  it   has  had  the 
luck  to  appropriate  to  itself,   and  then  bring  into  view 
the  vices,  the  ferocity,  the  crimes  which  may  disgrace 
the  possessor  ;  and  what  is  its  intrinsic  value  ?     Wash- 
ington was   great,  but  it  was  not   on   account   of  the 
attributes  ascribed  to  him  by  the  vulgar,  but  for  those 
qualities  which  gained  the  applause  of  the  virtuous  and 
enlightened.     That  which  I  have  related  may  be  con- 
sidered an  extraordinary  instance  of  ignorance  for  this 
country — but  the  stock  of  knowledge  possessed  by  the 
great  body  of  the  people  is  less  than  we  are  disposed  to 
believe.     There  is  still  need  for  the  schoolmaster. 

After  leaving  the  hero  of  ]3raddock's  war,  we  passed, 
or  rather  waded,  a  dismal  swamp  about  seven  miles  across, 
where  we  had  some  difficulty  now  and  then  in  following — 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  107 

what  was  neither  road  uor  path.  About  noon  wc  passed 
Cape  Girardeau,  and  came  in  sight  of  the  "father  of 
rivers."  We  continued  on,  in  hopes  of  reaching  a  Shaw- 
anese  village,  about  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  farther.  It  was 
dusk  when  we  reached  it,  much  fatigued,  and  repaired  to 
the  wigwam  of  the  chief  to  solicit  lodgings,  confiding  in 
the  Indian  good  name  for  hospitality — but  in  this  instance 
very  undeserved.  We  were  unexpectedly  denied,  but  were 
directed  to  another  village  a  mile  ofi".  It  was  dark  by  the 
time  we  reached  it,  bayed  by  some  fifty  dogs,  as  we  went 
from  cabin  to  cabin,  soliciting  hospitality  to  no  purpose. 
Each  one  made  some  excuse,  and  directed  us  to  his  neigh- 
bor. At  last,  we  entered  a  cabin  where  we  found  a  fine- 
looking  Indian,  who  was  at  first  inclined  to  receive  us, 
when  his  wife  raised  such  a  clatter,  that  he  started  forth 
to  show  us  some  other  place;  but  after  going  a  few  paces, 
he  suddenly  turned  back,  saying,  *'No,  you  stay  my 
house."  No  hatching  hen  driven  from  her  nest  ever 
made  such  a  noise  as  did  Madame  Sauvagesse  at  this  dis- 
obedient conduct  of  her  helpmate.  He  lighted  a  fire  and 
laid  bearskins  on  the  floor  for  us;  but,  in  consequence 
of  the  ill  humor  of  his  spouse,  we  were  afraid  to  ask  for 
anything  to  eat,  although  hungry  enough  to  digest  nails. 
We  rose  the  next  morning  by  daybreak,  and  were  shown 
the  road  by  our  host. 

About  noon  we  reached  the  next  village,  and  went 
immediately  to  the  house  of  the  old  chief,  who  received 
us  hospitably,  and  set  before  us  a  large  kettle  full  of 
hominy.* 

Having  fasted  since  the  day  before,  we  ate  of  this  until 
our  jaws  ached  without  satisfying  our  hunger,  until  one 
of  his  hunters  brought  in  the  carcass  of  a  deer,  of  which 

*  Boiled  indian-corn. 


198  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

Steaks  were  made,  and  these  "  appeased  the  rage  within 
us,"  like  Homer's  heroes.  I  could  not  but  remark  the 
difference  in  point  of  intellig-ence  between  this  chief  and 
the  soldier  of  Braddock's  war !  He  not  only  knew  the 
name  of  the  President,  but  even  made  particular  inquiries 
respecting  our  affairs  with  England  and  France,  and  the 
prospect  of  peace  or  war  with  either !  He  was  one  of  the 
Nine  Brothers,  a  curious  institution,  which  creates  a  kind 
of  masonic  influence  over  the  tribe.  Whether  it  began 
with  nine  persons  who  were  really  brothers,  I  do  not 
know ;  but  at  present  it  is  kept  up  by  choice  among  the 
most  distinguished  Indians.  If  in  any  of  our  cities,  or 
even  States,  an  association  were  to  be  formed  by  nine 
of  the  most  considerable  citizens,  each  one  bavins:  his 
sphere  of  influence,  yet  concentrating  the  whole  for  some 
common  object,  the  power  which  the  association  would 
possess  would  be  almost  absolute ! 

As  we  were  fatigued  and  found  ourselves  in  good  quar- 
ters, we  passed  the  rest  of  the  day  among  the  Indians, 
and.  sallied  forth  next  morning,  refreshed  and  in  high 
spirits,  expecting  to  reach  the  end  of  our  journey  that 
night.  About  half  way  we  came  to  a  stream,  which, 
being  filled  by  back  water  from  the  Mississippi,  was  not 
less  than  a  hundred  yards  wide,  and  we  were  obliged  to 
cross  it  as  we  could,  there  being  no  ferry.  The  only  thing 
we  could  find,  was  a  raft  made  of  three  logs  fastened 
together  by  grape  vines ;  upon  this  slender  conveyance 
we  placed  our  baggage  and  clothes ;  Bill  swam  the  horse 
and  returned ;  and  as  Ralph  could  not  swim  he  was 
seated  on  the  raft,  while  Bill  and  I  pushed  it  before  us. 

A  thousand  little  recollections  were  awakened,  and  I 
felt  my  heart  beat,  as  we  approached  St.  Genevieve. 
The  disappointed  feelings  at  Gallipolis  taught  me  to  check 
expectations  of  too  pleasing  a  nature.     I  knew  not  whether 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  199 

the  family  of  the  Beauvais  was  still  there,  or  whether  on 
this  side   the  grave ;    and  then  what  kind  of  reception 
should  I  receive  from  them,  and  from  those  who  were  my 
school-fellows,  and  who  must  now  be  the  men  and  women 
of  St.  Genevieve!     Did  they  still  preserve  in  remem- 
brance, le  petit  xinglais,  who  was  then  vara  avis  among 
them  ?     In  spite  of  better  judgment,  busy  fancy  was  at 
work,  and,  nolens  volens,  framed  a  variety  of  pleasing 
and  amusing  scenes.     As  I  approached  the  rocky  stream 
which  winds  round  one  side  of  the  village,  and  the  com- 
mon field  of  vast  extent  between  it  and  the  river,  it  was 
pleasing  to  find  that  the  place  had  not  undergone  an  en- 
tire change,  although  the  appearance  of  a  different  style 
of  building  intermingled  with  the  old  abodes,  showed  that 
Americans  had  already  set  their  feet  in  it.     There  was 
enough   left   to   answer  to  the  landscape  preserved  by 
memory,  and  which  I  had  dwelt  on  so  often,  that  it  was 
as  familiar  as  "household  words."     The  large  dwelling 
of  the  commandant.  Monsieur  Yalle,  was  still  there ;  the 
inclosures  of  pickets,  the  intermingled  orchards  and  gar- 
dens, still  gave  a  character  distinct  from  the  American 
villages;  while  cattle,  horned  and  without  horns,  were 
the  chief  occupants  of  the  streets  and  highways.     A  sign 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Gabarie  having  caught  my  eye,  I 
resolved  to  make  for  it — in  former  times  private  hospi- 
tality was  the  only  recourse  of  the  traveler.     It  was  just 
dark  when  we  reached  the  inn — the  landlord,  after  giving 
us  a  glance,  for  we  made  a  very  shabby  appearance,  took 
our  horse  to  the  stable,  where  he  was  placed  in  a  decent 
stall,  while  he  pointed  out  to  us  a  kind  of  out-house  where 
we  might  deposit  our  baggage,  and  seek  repose  for  the 
night  on  some  miserable  ^/•a?)^^^'.     The  place  was  infested 
with  rats,  and  so  impudent  were  they,  that  in  the  morn- 
ing poor  Bill  found  they  had  carried  off  his  greasy  pan- 


200  BRACKENRIDOE'S 

taloons  ;  and  on  fresh  pursuit  after  the  thieves,  the  frag- 
ments were  found  in  a  hole  in  one  corner.  I  was  obliged 
to  give  him  mine  to  prevent  his  appearance  sans  culotte. 
I  dressed  myself  in  a  neat  summer  suit,  with  silk  stock- 
ings and  pumps:  for  I  always  made  it  a  point  to  take 
some  pains  in  my  toilet  "on  my  first  appearance  on  any 
stage,"  in  order  to  make  a  favorable  impression;  and 
therefore  was  careful  to  have  a  suitable  dress  when  it  was 
necessary  to  assume  the  disguise  of  a  gentleman.  The 
landlord  was  surprised  when  I  entered  and  he  was  in* 
formed  that  I  was  one  of  the  three  footmen  ;  he  apologized 
for  his  mistake,  and  gave  me  the  choice  of  his  rooms. 
Soon  after,  my  correspondent  called  on  me,  and  introduced 
me  to  other  persons.  I  had  already  been  expected,  and 
had  been  preceded  by  some  reputation, — like  a  second  or 
third  rate  performer  on  the  London  boards,  who  is  to  ap- 
pear on  a  provincial  theater.  My  baggage,  books,  etc. 
had  arrived  safely. 

I  now  directed  my  inquiries  to  obtain  information  of 
the  good  people  who  had  kindly  taken  care  of  me  when  a 
boy,  and  had  the  satisfaction  to  learn  that  they  w^ere  still 
living,  and  in  health  ;  but  that  all  their  children  had  been 
married  off,  except  the  youngest,  Zouzou,  who  was  in  the 
cradle  when  I  bade  them  adieu,  and  that  she  was  to  be 
married  that  very  evening.  Although  impatient  to  see 
these  friends  once  more,  I  determined  to  w^ait  until  even- 
ing and  prepare  an  agreeable  surprise  for  them  by  volun- 
teering as  a  guest  to  the  wedding.  It  was  gratifying  to 
find  that,  instead- of  being  forgotten  in  the  place,  the  re- 
collection of  me  had  grown  with  the  young  generation  ; 
that  I  was  the  suliject  of  many  inquiries;  and  that  my 
arrival  would  be  a  holiday  to  the  village  as  well  as  to  my- 
self. Accordingly,  I  repaired  in  the  evening  to  the 
house,  which,  from  having  seen  much  larger  edifices,  was 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  201 

not  the  spacious  mansion  I  used  to  think  it,  although  it 
had  undergone  no  change — the  change  was  in  myself,  in 
mv  own  ideas.  Our  native  town  or  village,  and  the 
abode  of  our  childhood,  when  seen  after  visiting  larger 
places  and  seeing  more  spacious  dwellings,  are  apt  to 
dwindle  in  their  size  and  importance.  The  throb  of 
anxiety  which  I  felt  may  be  imagined — it  was  like  the 
return  of  a  rhild  absent  from  its  parents  in  the  interval 
between  infancy  and  manhood.  The  house  was  filled 
with  people,  and  lighted  up  with  all  the  gayety  on  such 
occasions  customary  in  French  villages,  where  nearly  all 
the  inhabitants  are  related  to  each  other.  I  stepped  to 
the  door  and  told  the  servant  a  person  wished  to  speak  to 
Madame  Beauvais,  who  soon  made  her  appearance,  much 
older  in  her  looks  than  when  I  saw  her  last,  but  still 
a  hale  old  woman  of  sixty,  with  the  same  open,  cheerful 
countenance.  "  Madame,"  said  I,  "  do  you  recollect  the 
little  English  boy  ?"  She  looked  at  me  a  moment,  and  then 
screamed,  "  Comment — est  il  j^o.^^ible?  Qui — oui — c^est 
lui — c'e.s-/  lui — c'e.s/  Henri P^  She  threw  her  arms  round 
my  neck,  while  her  exclamations  brought  out  the  company, 
grandchildren,  cousins,  uncles,  neighbors,  bride  and  bride- 
groom ;  and  when  the  matter  was  explained,  such  a  buss- 
ing frolic  took  place  as  was  never  surpassed  even  in  St. 
Genevieve.  I  was  conducted  in,  and  placed  by  the  side 
of  the  old  people.  Monsieur  Beauvais  was  more  lively 
and  cheerful  than  I  had  ever  seen  him  before — the  rigid 
muscles  of  his  face  appeared  to  have  relaxed  almost  into 
a  grimace.  The  cups  ai\d  saucers  I  had  presented  the 
bride,  and  which  were  the  reward  of  my  literary  progress, 
were  produced  on  the  table,  to  show  that  neither  le  petit 
Anglais  nor  his  gift  had  lj<ien  forgotten. 

The  next  morning  the  servants  of  Monsieur  Beauvais 
came  and  carried  oil'  my  baggage,  and  1  was  obliged  to 

18 


202  BRA  CKENRID  GE '  S 

follow.  ''Henri,^^  said  Madame  Beauvais,  "you  are  now 
our  only  child,  let  this  be  your  home  ;  stay  with  us,  Henri ; 
we  are  rejoiced  that  we  have  found  a  child  we  thought 
was  lost ;  you  have  come  to  console  us  in  our  old  age — 
restez,  Henri;  restez  avec  nous.^^ 


CHAPTER   XX. 

^  Scenes  of  Childhood. 

I  PASSED  the  first  week  after  my  return  to  St.  Genevieve 
in  comparing  the  real  scenes  with  the  ideas  fondly  pre- 
served in  my  memory.  Two  years  of  boyhood  had  been 
passed  here,  equal  in  importance  to  thrice  the  number  at 
any  subsequent  period,  especially  when  from  circum- 
stances, as  in  m}^  case,  there  had  been  an  early  develop- 
ment of  the  intellect.  My  years,  indeed,  were  few, 
although  the  incidents  of  my  life,  as  the  reader  must  by 
this  time  have  discovered,  were  many ;  and  there  was 
consequent  upon  them  a  greater  maturity  of  reflection 
than  is  usual  with  persons  of  my  age.  But  this  was  not 
the  case  with  the  gallop  of  my  animal  spirits.  I  had 
nearly  all  my  wild  oats  yet  to  sow ;  I  was  persecuted  by 
a  half-cracked  vivacity,  which  extracted  joy  from  every- 
thing, like  "  sunbeams  from  cucumbers ;"  yet  there  was 
occasional  short  transition  of  madness,  not  inconsistent 
with  the  disposition  to  look  upon  the  "  gayest,  happiest 
attitude  of  things." 

In  this  mixed,  or  rather  tinged  feeling,  I  ran  over  the 
flinty  hills  or  cotes  west  of  the  village,  which  still  had 
the  same  uncultivated  appearance,  a  (fording  nourishment 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  203 

to  shrubby  trcus,  and  viiit's  uf  the  .suiiiiiier  grape,  of 
which  the  inhal)itants  used  to  fabricate  their  choicest 
Burgundy.  It  was  on  this  spot,  when  eight  years  of  age, 
I  first  noticed  the  misty  purple  blush  on  the  distant  hills 
beyond  the  Mississippi ;  a  beauty  of  nature  which  I  have 
elsewhere  dwelt  upon  with  delight,  for  it  called  to  my  re- 
membrance the  hours  of  my  childhood. 

From  this  spot,  the  wide  and  fertile  plain  stretched  out 
before  me,  extending  to  the  margin  of  the  mighty  among 
the  rivers  of  the  earth.  It  was  the  common  field  of  the 
village,  whose  fertile  soil  for  seventy  years  had  yielded 
its  teeming  harvests  of  spring  wheat  and  indian-corn. 
To  the  north  of  the  village  forming  its  boundary,  lay  the 
course  of  the  deep  and  muddy  Gabarie,  overhung  with 
thick  foliage  and  grape-vines  of  interminable  but  barren 
luxuriance,  or  at  most  yielding  a  scanty  vintage  of 
winter  grapes  for  the  birds  who  linger  here  until  blown 
away  by  the  rude  breath  of  the  season.  And  here  let  me 
note  that  it  is  only  the  dwarf  vines  of  the  poor  hills  that 
are  fruitful,  and  I  must  therefore  put  in  a  demurrer  to 
the  case  stated  by  ^[onsieur  de  Chateaubriand,  of  the  in- 
toxication of  his  imaginary  bears  on  the  rich  must  of  the 
giant  vines,  which  he  saw  on  the  Mississippi.  I  can  excuse 
liis  Messieurs  and  Mesdames  Sauvages  et  Sauvageses,  and 
the  violin  of  Monsieur  Friquette,  for  manners  change,  but 
nature  is  ever  the  same. 

A  little  higher  up,  the  Gabarie  occupies  a  rocky  bed, 
and  forms  occasional  pools  of  deep  water,  in  one  of  which 
I  received  my  first  lessons  in  the  useful  art  of  swimming 
from  Monsieur  Baptiste  Yalle,  brother  to  our  much- 
re.spected  commandant.  Below  the  village,  outside  of  the 
great  common  field,  near  a  stream  which  joins  the  Gaba- 
rie, whilom  stood  the  village  of  the  Kickapoo  Indians, 
long  since  evaporated  without  leaving  a  trace  behind. 


204  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

The  streets,  the  gardens,  the  houses,  the  old  weather- 
beaten  church  of  St.  Genevieve,  told  me  of  a  thousand 
things,  some  fresh  in  my  recollection,  others  partly  for- 
gotten. But  the  sight  of  the  "  human  face  divine" 
awakened  a  deeper  interest,  as  well  on  account  of  those 
who  still  remained,  as  of  those  who  had  passed  away.  I 
have  already  spoken  of  my  venerable  foster-parents.  The 
good  curate,  St.  Pierre,  had  gone  to  Lower  Louisiana,  his 
place  being  supplied  by  an  Irish  priest,  who  took  more 
pleasure  in  his  dog  and  gun  than  in  the  celebration  of  the 
mass  and  the  spiritual  concerns  of  his  flock.  The  school- 
master, who  used  to  flog  me  sometimes  for  the  edification 
of  his  other  scholars,  had  paid  the  debt  to  nature.  The 
commandant,  Monsieur  Yalle,  was  no  more,  "  and  had 
not  left  his  peer."  What  changes  in  the  course  of  ten 
years,  in  our  short  span  of  life! 

My  godmother  Avas  not  long  in  exhausting  the  chronicle 
of  all  important  events  in  the  history  of  the  village,  and 
many  were  the  digressions  and  episodes  slipped  in  by 
Monsieur  Beauvais!  And  then  he  asked  me  a  hundred 
questions  in  turn.  '*  It  is  a  large  place,  that  Pennsyl- 
vania, close  by  Boston."  G^est  une  grand  ville,  cette 
Pensilvayii,  tout  pre  s  de  Boston! 

I  must  here  take  notice  of  the  agreeable  party  of 
pleasure  made  by  the  young  friends  of  the  new-married 
couple,  the  youth  of  both  sexes  of  the  village,  accompanied 
by  a  few  elders  and  matrons  to  preserve  order.  We 
ascended  in  two  barges  to  the  old  Forte  de  Chartre,  on  the 
bank  of  the  Mississippi.  Here  we  danced  and  strolled  about 
until  evening.  The  noble  ruin  was  already  half-buried  in 
the  Mississippi :  the  mossy  walls  which  remained,  hidden 
by  a  forest  of  trees  and  tall  shrubs,  were  highly  pictur- 
esque :  while  the  moral  associations  were  such  as  are  not 
often  awakened  in  the  New  World.    The  sprightly  village, 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  205 

which  hud  once  nourished  near  its  walls,  had  disappeared, 
without  leaving  a  single  trace  of  its  former  existence. 
After  spending  a  day  of  youthful  merriment  and  joy,  we 
returned  in  the  evening,  enlivening  the  lonely  banks  of 
the  river  with  the  sound  of  flutes  and  violins,  accom- 
panied by  the  human  voice. 

Another  week  brought  with  it  other  thoughts  and 
other  occupations.  If  my  heart  was  light,  my  purse  was 
not  heavy.  The  session  of  the  superior  court  of  the 
Territory,  held  alternately  at  this  place  and  at  St.  Louis, 
was  expected  in  the  course  of  ten  days  after  my  arrival. 
The  hope  of  gain,  and  the  vanity  of  display  in  my  pro- 
fession, now  occupied  my  thoughts.  1  was  engaged  as 
the  counsel  of  a  French  lady,  who  claimed  a  considerable 
sum  out  of  the  estate  of  her  husband,  who  had  died  much 
involved.  The  creditors  claimed  the  whole,  which  she 
contested,  under  a  marriage  contract  executed  before  the 
change  of  the  government.  The  law  of  the  case  I  dis- 
covered to  be  the  coutume  de  Paris,  which  was  the  com- 
mon law  of  the  French  colonies,  and  which  had  not  been 
changed  by  the  Spanish  king.  An  old  copy  of  the  cus- 
tom of  Paris,  in  two  quarto  volumes,  happened  to  be  in 
the  possession  of  Monsieur  Beauvais,  and  to  this  I  now 
devoted  my  days  and  nights.  The  day  for  the  display  of 
my  learning  and  oratory  at  length  came ;  and  now,  gen- 
tle reader,  who  do  you  think  was  the  chief  justice  before 
whom  I  was  about  to  appear  ?  Do  you  recollect  the 
French  gentleman  pushing  his  canoe  up  the  Ohio,  with 
his  skins  and  lead,  and  the  little  boy  shaking  with  the 
ague,  who  was  afterward  dropped  at  the  house  of  Mon- 
sieur Saugrain  ?  That  gentleman  and  our  chief  justice  are 
the  same  individual,  and  the  little  boy  is  the  grave  law- 
•yer,  now  expounding  before  him  the  laws  of  France,  and 
making  nice  distinctions  between  the  douaire  and  the  dot 

18* 


206  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

— reading  pages  in  French,  and  urging  the  rights  of  his 
client,  as  a  privileged  claimant,  in  the  English  language, 
before  an  American  court!  Such  occurrences  are  not 
common  in  other  countries,  but  in  ours  they  have  nothing 
of  the  romance  even  of  real  life.  The  associate  justice 
was  a  German,  who  had  touched  our  shores  about  eight 
years  before,  and  A^^ho,  after  learning  the  English 
language,  had  applied  himself  to  the  law,  in  the  town  of 
Somerset,  my  late  abode.  He  was  a  man  of  good  educa- 
tion, and,  by  perseverance,  had  made  himself  a  respecta- 
ble lawyer,  married  the  daughter  of  an  influential  citizen, 
at  whose  instance  the  member  of  Congress  from  the  dis- 
trict had  recommended  him  to  Mr.  Jefferson.  I  was 
listened  to  with  profound  respect  by  the  judges,  both  of 
whom  spoke  French,  and  my  former  guardian  could 
hardly  contain  his  satisfaction,  especially  when  I  indulged 
in  some  compliments  to  the  sagacity  of  the  President  of 
the  United  States  in  selecting  men  so  peculiarly  qualified 
to  decide  a  case  like  that  before  the  court.  The  opposite 
counsel  passed  by  my  French  law  with  contempt — per- 
haps a  sneer  was  the  utmost,  in  their  estimation,  it 
deserved — but  dwelt  with  confidence  on  the  doctrine  laid 
down  by  Blackstone  and  some  other  common  law  writers. 
They,  in  turn,  were  treated  by  the  judges  with  equal  in- 
difference, who  took  no  notice  of  Blackstone,  and  pro- 
nounced a  decision  in  favor  of  my  client. 

I  had  other  clients,  and  among  them  the  sons  of  Colonel 
Perry,  who  had  been  client  of  my  father  thirty  years 
before.  They  resided  at  the  lead  mines,  and  had  law- 
suits about  the  right  of  soil  where  lead  ore  was  found  ;  I 
was  also  successful  in  their  cases.  In  the  course  of  the 
term  I  was  appointed  to  defend  an  unfortunate  man  in- 
dicjted  for  a  murder,  which  had  occurred  in  the  mine 
district.     A  field  was  presented  for  declamation,  and  little 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  207 

else,  as  the  evidence  was  too  strong  to  hang  a  reasonable 
doubt  upon.  The  unhappy  man  stood  as  unmoved  as  a 
statue  ;  his  rugged  frame  and  harsh  features  were  those 
of  a  bravo.  He  was  found  guilty,  and  sentenced  to  pay 
the  forfeit  of  his  crime. 

At  the  termination  of  the  court  my  success  was  quite 
equal  to  my  expectations.     I  found  myself  the  owner  of  a 
good  horse,  and  had  some  cash  in  my  purse.     When  I 
looked  before  me,  the  world  seemed  a  store-house  of  in- 
exhaustible pleasure,  and  life,  and  immortality — such  are 
the  flattering  illusions  of  youth.     But  when  I  surveyed 
the  scene  of  my  present  display,  there  were  some  things 
which   grated  harshly  on  my  habits  and  feelings.     On 
the  first  day  of  the  term  I  remarked  the  number  of  armed 
people  about  me — some  with  pistols  behind  them,  under 
their  coats;    nearly  all  with  dirks  peeping  from  their 
bosoms  ;  even  the  judges  on  the  bench  had  their  pistols 
and  ataghans  by  their  sides!     What  a  state  of  society! 
thought   I.     On   inquiry,  I  found   that   the    blood    and 
slaughter  was   less   than    might   be    expected  from  the 
belligerent  attitude  of  every  one — perhaps  for  the  very 
reason  that  all  were  armed.     But  such  occurrences  were 
undoubtedly  more  frequent  than  in  the  old  settlements, 
and  were  sufficient  to  diffuse  a  painful  feeling  of  insecu- 
rity.    Few  persons  of  any  note   had  escaped   personal 
difficulties ;  and  those  newly  come  must  make  up  their 
minds  to  be  placed,  soon  or  late,  in  a  situation  to  commit 
murder,  or  to  be  murdered.     By  affecting  the  bully,  and 
bearding  some  weak  disciple,  like  the  merchant  in  Iladji 
Baba,  one   might   escape  for   awhile  ;  but   woe   to   the 
unfortunate    wight    who    should   be    suspected    of    any 
Christian  abhorrence   for   scenes  of  blood!     And  what, 
after  all,  was  the  great  prize  to  be  gained  by  encounter- 
ing those  worse   than  dangers  ?     The  golden  fleece  of 


208  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

Jason  would  be  no  reward  for  the  agonizing  tortures  of  a 
guilty  conscience ! 

I  will  relate  a  little  incident,  which  was  the  occasion  of 
some  mirth  at  iwj  expense.  My  friend  Perry  undertook 
to  return  the  horse,  so  kindly  lent  me  by  Mr.  Humphreys, 
which  was  to  be  by  the  postrider.  He  went  to  the 
stable,  where  he  found  but  one  horse,  a  hay  instead  of  a 
black.  I  suddenly  recollected  that  I  had  tied  a  silk  thread 
about  his  fetlock,  so  as  to  be  able  to  identify  him.  Sure 
enough,  it  was  there — buc  it  was  the  thread  that  was 
black,  not  the  horse. 

I  had  not  yet  made  up  my  mind  to  remain  permanently 
in  Missouri:  New  Orleans  offered  me,  in  perspective  at 
least,  much  more  brilliant  prospects.  I  had  a  friend  there 
who  was  in  a  situation  to  place  me  in  practice  ;  besides, 
I  wished  to  see  a  little  more  of  the  world  before  I  became, 
to  use  a  legal  phrase,  glebae  adstrictis.  Mr.  Perry  had 
given  me  a  friendly  invitation  to  pass  a  few  weeks  at  the 
mine  in  Burton,  which  I  cheerfully  accepted,  intending 
to  pass  from  that  place  to  St.  Louis,  where  I  had  some 
acquaintance.  My  attention  had  been  turned  to  the  study 
of  geology  and  chemistry,  and  the  natural  sciences. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  209 


CHAPTER   XXL 

Journey  to  the  Lead  Mines — Mode  of  settling  Disputes  a 

I'amiable. 

At  early  dawn  Mr.  Perry  appeared  in  the  court-yard 
of  Monsieur  Beauvais,  with  our  horses  saddled  and  ready 
for  the  journey.  As  the  distance  was  forty  miles,  and  no 
house  on  the  road,  Madame  Beauvais  had  provided  a  suit- 
able nooning,  besides  a  substantial  breakfast,  to  begin 
with. 

With  light  and  youthful  hearts  we  began  our  journey 
of  forty  miles  without  expecting  to  meet  with  mile-stones, 
or  "  human  face  divine,"  by  the  way;  but  we  knew  of  no 
dangers  excepting  such  casualties  as  might  attend  the 
traveler  anywhere.  It  was  not  so  during  my  first  abode 
at  St.  Genevieve,  when  the  terrible  Osages  kept  the  in- 
habitants in  constant  fear.  Since  the  change  of  govern- 
ment, they  had  committed  but  one  outrage  upon  the  white 
people,  which  was  the  seizure  of  a  new-married  couple 
and  their  cortege,  on  the  way  '.o  town  from  the  Mine  a 
Burton,  depriving  them  of  their  horses  and  fine  clothes, 
but  without  any  other  injury  than  reducing  them  to  the 
condition  of  our  first  parents  in  the  garden  of  Eden.  It 
was  the  boast  of  the  Osages  that,  in  all  their  robberies 
and  alarming  inroads,  they  had  never  shed  the  blood  of 
white  men;  but  for  my  part  I  would  be  very  unwilling 
to  trust  them. 

The  first  twenty  miles  of  our  journey  lay  over  flinty 
hills  and  along  narrow  ridges,  whose  oaks  were  not  of 
the  usual  towering  western  growth,  but  in  the  deep  hoi- 


210  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

lows,   which   frequently  appeared,  there    were   gloomy 
forests  of  pine,  and   sometimes,  in  close  proximity,  fine 
groves  of  sugar-trees,  and  other  growth  indicating  a  better 
soil.     The  country  became  less  hilly  and  less  broken  as 
we  receded  from  the  Mississippi  and  approached  a  broad, 
shallow  stream  flowing  over  a  gravelly  bed,  and  called  la 
Grande  Riviere,  anglice,  BigPdver,  for  what  cause  I  know 
not,  for  it  neither  suited  the  name  given  it  by  the  French 
nor   the    American   translation.      Without   making   any 
further  objection  to  the  name,  we  thought  it  a  very  suit- 
able place  to  rest  ourselves  and  our  horses.     Accordingly, 
taking  off  the  saddles,  we  spread  the  saddle  blankets,  on 
which  we  gave  to  each  horse  a  feed  of  corn,  and  then 
turned  them  loose  to  graze ;   after  which  we  betook  our- 
selves to  the  shade  of  a  noble  sycamore  on  the  bank  of 
the  wizard  stream — perhaps  the  very  scene  of  the  Osage 
incivility  just  related — a  spot  of  such  beauty  as  might 
have  warmed  the  fancy  of  Ariosto.     Here  we  visited  our 
wallet,  and,  seasoned  with  health,  hunger,  and  youthful 
spirits  and  mirth,  sat  down  to  a  repast  which  would  not 
suffer  by  a  comparison  with  the  golden  age,  so  eloquently 
described  by  Don  Quixote  in  his  speech  to  the  goatherds! 
Reader,  you  may  well  smack  your  lips,  for  such  a  feast 
docs  not  befall  you  every  day, — and  there  the  ruby  wine 
diluted  with  water  from  the  limpid  current,  and  reflecting 
its  sunny  hues  on  the  sides  of  the  new  tin  cup  !     This 
was  before  the  day  of  temperance  societies.     I  am  no 
enemy  to   them, — I   wish   them    well,   and   have    made 
speeches   at  their  meetings,  and  bless  everything   they 
have  done  against  those  great  infernal  spirits,  whisky, 
rum,  and  brandy;  and   against  the   lesser  imps,  in  the 
shape  of  gin,  julep,  toddy,  cock-tail,  and  fog-matic;  but 
with  respect  to  the  pure,  genuine  juice  of  the  grape,  I 
confess  that  I  am  not  orthodox,  for  I  do  religiously  be- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  211 

lieve  that  the  vine  and  its  fruit  are  the  gift  of  Heaven,  in- 
tended for  the  use  of  man,  although  not  to  be  abused  by 
him.  Enthusiasm  in  a  good  cause  is  apt  to  run  into  fa- 
naticism. I  have  heard  of  people  cutting  down  fine 
orchards  of  apple-trees,  because  the  apples  might  be 
made  into  cider,  and  this  innocent  liquor  converted  into 
an  intoxicating  drink  by  distillation.  The  Tartars  make 
a  strong  drink  of  their  camels'  milk  by  fermentation,  and, 
on  the  principle  of  the  destroyers  of  the  apple-tree  or  the 
vine,  they  ought  to  kill  their  camels,  lest  they  should  give 
milk  which  might  be  converted  into  the  means  of  drunk- 
enness, instead  of  serving  as  a  healthful  nourishment. 

After  resuming  our  journey,  we  entered  a  country  of  a 
less  fertile  appearance,  the  timber  dwarfish,  the  surface  of 
the  land  uneven  but  less  hilly,  and  abounding  with  spots 
where  the  limestone  showed  itself  in  naked  masses  on 
the  surface,  and  near  them,  frequently,  small  grassy  glades, 
with  rich  herbage,  and  abounding  at  the  time  with  ripe 
strawberries.  As  we  approached  the  diggings,  as  the 
mines  were  called,  we  passed  over  numerous  flinty  hills, 
where  the  mineral  blossom,  or  spar,  glittered  on  the 
ground,  indicating  the  mineral  region.  The  name  of  dig- 
gings was  much  more  appropriate  than  that  of  mines,  for 
they  were  nothing  more  than  numerous  pits,  with  the 
red  earth  thrown  out  near  them,  like  newly  dug  wells. 
These  covered  a  space  in  some  places  of  ten  or  twenty 
acres,  with  the  remains  of  hastily  constructed  cabins,  the 
superficial  search  after  the  ore  having  J)een  accomplished, 
and  the  explorers  having  gone  in  pursuit  of  other  dis- 
coveries ;  for  such  is  the  name  given  to  the  latest  diggings 
where  some  one  has  been  so  lucky  as  to  find  an  abundance 
of  ore  near  the  surface.  The  divining  rod,  I  was  in- 
formed, was  pretty  generally  used  ;  but  I  presume  the 
more  observing   and  experienced  formed  their  opinions 


212  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

from  the  appearance  and  color  of  the  clay,  the  deposits 
on  the  surface,  and  other  peculiarities  in  the  configura- 
tion of  the  land. 

We  entered  the  villa s^e  of  Mine  a  Burton  in  the  evening, 
situated  in  a  long,  narrow  defile,  on  the  banks  of  a  small 
stream,  the  houses  being  on  each  side  and  far  apart ;  such 
was  its  appearance  at  that  day, — it  is  perhaps  very  dif- 
ferent now.  It  was  a  very  humble  village,  the  dwellings 
more  properly  cabins  than  houses,  with  the  exception  of 
that  of  Colonel  Austin,  the  nabob  of  the  place,  whose 
dwelling,  situated  on  an  elevated  point,  had  compara- 
tively something  of  a  castle-like  appearance.  I  was  wel- 
comed to  the  abode  of  my  companion  by  his  venerable 
parents,  Colonel  Perry  and  Mrs.  Perry,  and  two  sons, 
who  were  at  home.  I  recollected  to  have  seen  them  be- 
fore, and  they  were  overjoyed  to  meet  with  one  fi'om  the 
same  part  of  Pennsylvania.  Here  I  made  a  sojourn  of 
some  weeks,  enjoying  the  hospitality  of  this  estimable 
family,  and  making  frequent  excursions  through  the 
mining  district.  In  my  "Views  of  Louisiana,"  I  have 
given  something  of  the  statistics  and  geography  of  this 
portion  of  Missouri,  and  to  repeat  it  here  would  not  ac- 
cord with  this  ''personal  narrative."  The  course  of  my 
previous  studies  had  not  led  me  into  the  new  field  which 
now  presented  itself.  I  had  general  notions  of  chemistry 
and  geology,  and,  finding  here  a  volume  of  Cuvier's 
"  Theory  of  the  Earth,"  and  a  copy  of  the  American 
p]n cyclopedia,  with  Sir  Humphry  Davy's  Agricultural 
Chemistry,  I  applied  myself  with  considerable  ardor,  and 
laid  the  foundation  of  at  least  a  taste  or  relish  for  such 
studies,  although  only  followed  up  afterward  at  intervals. 

Of  the  manners  of  the  inhabitants,  or  rather  sojourners, 
I  shall  only  say  that  I  met  here  some  of  the  rudest  and 
most  savage  of  the  uncivilized  portion  of  civilized  society. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  213 

Perpetual  wrangles  and  many  bloody  quarrels  took  place 
about  their  natural  rights,  as  they  were  here  almost  in  a 
state  of  nature,  the  arm  of  the  magistracy  being  power- 
less, and  the  whole  face  of  the  country  common  property. 
From  necessity,  they  had  to  adopt  a  code  of  laws  de- 
fining— in  a  very  rude  manner,  however — their  respective 
rights  and  privileges,  but  which  were  mostly  sullied  by 
the  arbitrament  of  the  fist,  the  bludgeon,  the  dirk,  or  rifle. 
For    instance,  the  common  digger  or  laborer   who  first 
struck  on  a  deposit  of  ore,  had  a  right' to  follow  it  up  as 
lonir  as  he  pleased,  and  was  entitled  to  the  distance  {usque 
ad  infernum)  of  one  rod  in  every  direction  from  the  brink  oi 
his  pit.     The  smelters,  a  kind  of  sutlers  who  furnished 
supplies,  received  the  ore,  and  extracted  the  lead,  had  also 
their  laws  to  prevent  interference  with  each  other,  which 
were  not  always  faithfully  observed,  and  this,  of  course, 
gave  rise  to  petty  wars,  in  which  their  followers  on  each 
side  sometimes  engaged.     Among  the  more  respectable 
families,  there  was  little  harmony,  some  claiming  exten- 
sive grants  from  the  Spanish  government,  which  had  not 
yet  received  the  final  sanction  of  Congress,  and  which 
the  rest  resisted  on  the  ground  of  their  conflicting  with 
the  natural  rights  of  man.     The  mining  pursuits  in  gen- 
eral were  unfavorable  to  morals,  being  of  an  uncertain, 
unsettled,   and  irregular  character,  tending  to   create   a 
gaming  spirit,  which  awakened  passions  that  produced 
bloodshed  and  violence  when  not  sufficiently  restrained 
by  public  opinion,  or  the  interference  of  civil  authority. 
Vice  and  immorality  are  very  apt  to  be  the  attendants  of 
gaming,  whether  carried  on  by  roulette  tables,  by  lotte- 
ries, by  fictitious  banks,  or  by  the  art  and  mystery  of 
politics. 

An  anecdote  was  related  to  me  of  Colonel  Smith  in  this 
neighborhood,  who  had  been  on  friendly  terms  with  the 

19 


214  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

young  Penys,  while  they  \Yere  both  at  variance  with  Mr. 
Austin,  the  father  of  Colonel  Austin,  afterward  celebrated 
in  Texas.  It  happened,  unfortunately,  that  Colonel  Smith 
and  the  Perrys  fell  out  about  something  connected  with 
their  mining  pursuits,  prol)ably  in  consequence  of  a.  float- 
ing grsLut  which  had  been  purchased  by  the  Colonel;  that 
is,  a  grant  without  a  determined  locality,  but  susceptible 
of  being  detached  in  parts  and  parcels,  so  as  to  cover 
any  new  diggings  which  might  be  of  sufficient  importance 
to  justify  the  experiment,  which  may  be  readil}"  imagined 
could  not  be  a  very  safe  one.  The  Perrys  were  not  the 
kind  of  men  to  concede  such  a  right,  even  to  their  old 
friend ;  for,  although  not  disposed  to  encroach  on  the 
rights  of  others,  yet  they  could  not  be  easily  made  to 
surrender  their  own.  They  were  young,  athletic,  brave 
— they  were  brothers,  and  as  true  as  steel  to  each  other, 
and,  besides,  had  their  followers,  so  that  they  were  not 
to  be  alarmed  into  measures ;  and  here  a  coolness  took 
place  between  them  and  Colonel  Smith,  who  was  one  of 
the  most  determined  and  intrepid  men  ever  known  in  our 
frontier  settlements.  One  day,  about  half  way  from  the 
Mine  a  Burton  to  St.  Genevieve,  Mr.  Samuel  Perry  was 
overtaken  by  Colonel  Smith,  and,  after  riding  some  dis- 
tance together,  conversing  on  indifferent  subjects,  the 
Colonel  suddenly  addressed  him-in  the  following  manner: 
"Mr.  Perry,  we  have  been  friends  for  a  long  time,  and 
I  feel  great  regret  that  any  misunderstanding  should  have 
arisen  between  us;  here  we  are  entirely  alone,  and  there 
is  no  one  to  interrupt  us — let  us  settle  the  matter  in  an 
amicable  way.  You  know  my  aversion  to  law  and  law- 
yers, and  their  quibbles;  I  have  here  a  couple  of  friends 
that  have  no  mistake  in  them.  Here,  take  your  choice — 
they  are  both  loaded  and  equally  true."  Mr.  Perry,  with- 
out losing  his  presence  of  mind,  politely  thanked  him, 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  TUE    WEST.  215 

and  declined  the  proffered  civility,  as  he  had  some  business 
of  importance  at  St.  Genevieve,  which  could  not  be  so  well 
transacted  by  his  ghod.  The  Colonel  was  sorry  the  dis- 
pute could  not  be  settled  in  this  i-ational  manner,  after 
which  they  jogged  on  together,  changing  the  subject  of 
discourse  to  matters  of  a  different  nature. 

It  was  my  intention  to  proceed  from  the  mines  to  St. 
Louis,  the  capital  of  the  Territory,  without  returning  to  St. 
Genevieve,  the  former  being  at  the  distance  of  a  day  and  a 
half  journey  on  horseback.  I  had  some  letters  of  introduc- 
tion to  deliver — one  to  the  governor — and  was  personally 
acquainted  with  Mr.  Bates,  the  secretary  of  the  Territory, 
and  brother  of  my  lamented  friend,  with  whom  I  had 
served  a  part  of  my  apprenticeship  in  the  law.  I  ex- 
pected also  to  meet  a  gentleman  of  the  name  of  Graham, 
w^ho  had  been  my  roommate  at  Jefferson  College,  and 
who  had  recently  gone  to  St.  Louis  for  the  purpose  of 
engaging  in  the  practice.  There  was,  besides,  my  old 
landlord.  Doctor  Saugrain,  who  was  in  good  practice  as 
a  physician  at  that  place,  and  of  whose  success  I  had 
keard  a  very  satisfactory  account ;  there  w^as,  also,  my 
old  German  teacher,  that  singular  oddity  and  original, 
Herr  Shewe,  who,  I  learned,  had  flourished  for  awhile  as 
a  painter, — but  that  occupation  failing,  had  opened  an 
establishment  for  the  sale  of  small  wares,  beer,  soap,  can- 
dles, sal^fish,  and  a  variety  of  other  huckstery;  yet  I 
knew,  let  his  occupation  be  what  it  might,  he  could  not 
cease  to  be  the  same  philosopher,  original  genius,  and 
inimitable  jester,  whether  over  a  tankard  of  beer  or  in 
the  pulpit.  The  latter  situation  he  honestly  and  consci- 
entiously renounced,  from  a  belief  that  he  was  not  suited 
for  it,  and  of  this  there  could  not  be  a  doubt.  I  have 
heard  him  say  tliat,  when  he  first  pro})osed  to  his  father 
to  let  him  study  divinity,  the  old  man  indignantly  said  to 


216  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

him  :  *'  You  bo  a  minister  ! — you  rasbkel,  you  have  not  an 
ounce  of  minister's  flesh  on  your  rashkelly  pones."  Thus, 
in  repairing  to  the  headquarters  of  the  great  capital  of  this 
future  State,  I  would  not  be  entirely  a  stranger.  I  would 
meet  at  once  acquaintance,  and  perhaps /?'ie?if/s/?ip,  or  at 
least  something  resembling  that  name,  even  if  it  be  but  a 

name, — 

''A  shade  that  follows  wealth  and  fame, 
But  leaves  the  wretch  to  weep." 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

Journey  from  the  Mines  to  St.  Louis. 

I  HAD  received  a  polite  invitation  from  Colonel  Smith 
to  spend  a  day  with  him,  as  his  residence  lay  in  my  way 
to  St.  Louis.  The  invitation  had  been  accepted,  and  now 
taking  leave  of  my  hospitable  friends,  I  set  out  alone  on 
horseback,  following  the  road  pointed  out  to  me.  After 
riding  about  ten  miles,  without  passing  a  single  house,  I 
was  at  the  Colonel's  gate,  before  I  suspected  that  his  resi- 
dence was  near,  fur  it  was  not  indicated  by  the  slightest 
appearance  of  cultivation  or  improvement.  It  was  situ- 
ated on  a  dry  poor  ridge,  with  a  few  scattered  stunted 
oaks ;  the  spot  probably  chosen  on  account  of  its  barren- 
ness. The  situation  was  clean  and  airy,  and  supi)iied 
with  a  good  spring  of  water.  I  found  afterward  that 
such  spots  are  usually  preferred  in  tlie  Southern  State 
wh(;nce  the  Colonel  had  migrated.  Tiie  great  baronial 
])];Hiters  of  the  Soulli  i)refer  these  out-of-the-wa}^  situa- 
tions, at  a  distance  from  interfering  and  pi'ying  neighbors, 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  217 

and  the  vexation  of  intermin.irling  cattle.  It  was  a  saying 
of  the  venerable  Macon  of  North  Carolina,  the  American 
Cato,  that  he  never  wished  to  live  so  near  another  as  to 
be  within  hearing  of  the  hark  of  his  dog  /  A  space  of 
five  or  six  miles  is  considered  quite  near  enough  for  a 
next  door  neighbor. 

I  was  met  at  the  gate  by  the  Colonel,  in  the  free  and 
open  manner  of  Southern  hospitality,  and  led  through  the 
well-swept  yard  to  his  dwelling ;  for,  after  the  manner  of 
the  Southern  States,  the  yard  was  carefully  kept  clean  of 
weeds  and  grass,  so  as  to  afford  no  shelter  for  mosquitoes 
or  snakes  ;  at  the  same  time  rendering  the  walking  more 
agreeable,  as  the  dews  which  fall  in  this  climate  render  a 
grass-plat  more  pleasing  to  the  eye  than  to  the  feet.  The 
dwelling  was  a  double  log-cabin ;  that  is,  two  cabins 
joined  by  a  passage  under  the  same  roof:  one  of  these, 
being  the  parlor,  dining  and  bed-room  of  the  family ;  the 
other,  intended  for  the  accommodation  of  strangers. 
There  were  other  detached  buildings,  some  in  the  yard 
and  others  out  of  it ;  serving  for  kitchen  and  other  offices. 
Such  are  very  commonly  the  hasty  buildings  of  the  new 
settlers,  which  in  time  are  replaced  by  structures  more 
expensive  and  commodious. 

Such  was  the  castle  of  Colonel  Smith,  one  of  the  most 
famous  and  really  formidable  men,  in  his  way,  in  the 
Western  States  and  Territories,  and  who,  for  the  number 
and  success  of  his  personal  rencounters,  stood  unrivaled. 
Nothing  was  wanting  but  a  more  extended  sphere  of  ac- 
tion to  have  equaled  or  surpassed  the  fame  of  Marion  or 
Putnam.  There  was  nothing  in  his  ai)pearance,  how- 
ever, to  denote  the  ferce  belligerent.  He  was  a  small 
man,  of  a  delicate  frame,  even  somewhat  effeminate  in  his 
appearance — mild  blue  eyes,  fair  hair,  fair  complexion — 
his  face  smooth  and  youthful,  although  he  was  not  less 

19* 


218  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

than  forty  years  of  age.  His  manners,  in  his  family,  were 
mild  and  gentle ;  kindness  and  benevolence  appeared  to 
be  the  natural  growth  of  his  heart.  Mrs.  Smith  seemed 
to  be  one  of  the  most  amiable  of  her  sex,  and  their  only 
child,  a  daughter,  about  ten  years  old,  seemed  to  possess 
the  modesty  and  sweetness  of  disposition  of  her  mother. 

The  next  morning,  after  breakfast,  the  Colonel  con- 
ducted me  to  his  armory,  for  I  will  not  lessen  its  dignity 
by  calling  it  his  gunsmith-shop  !  Here  was  a  surprising 
number  of  fire-arms  of  all  descriptions,  from  the  blunder- 
buss to  the  pocket  pistol ;  and  no  small  number  of  swords 
and  dirks.  Two  negro  men  and  a  boy  were  at  work; 
they  had  been  taught  by  first-rate  artists,  and  the  Colonel 
himself  was  not  only  an  unrivaled  connoisseur,  but  an 
amateur  artist  of  superior  skill.  At  the  present  day,  the 
guest  would  be  conducted  into  the  library ;  but  I  am 
writing  of  the  fifteenth  century,  of  the  days  of  chivalry 
which  followed  the  Crusades. 

As  preparations  had  been  made  for  a  hunt,  or  drive, 
as  it  is  called,  he  took  down  2i  favorite  rifle,  and  placed 
another  in  my  hands,  with  a  high  recommendation  of  its 
good  qualities.  We  proceeded  to  mount  our  horses,  while 
the  black  huntsman  struck  into  the  woods  in  a  different 
direction.  After  proceeding  about  half  a  mile  the  Colonel 
suddenly  stopped,  and  taking  a  deliberate  aim,  brought 
down  a  hawk  from  a  high  tree,  but  before  proceeding  to 
the  spot,  to  ascertain  the  accuracy  of  the  shot,  he  wiped 
his  rifle  and  then  loaded,  carefully  examining  the  flint. 
About  a  mile  farther  we  took  our  stand  near  the  junction 
of  two  streams,  and  it  was  not  long  before  we  heard  the 
approach  of  the  hounds  in  full  cry.  Before  I  could  dis- 
cover the  game,  the  Colonel's  gun  went  off,  he  rushed 
forward  with  his  hunting  knife,  and  by  the  time  I  over- 
took him,  he  was  already  bleeding  a  deer.     It  is  wonder- 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  219 

fill  what  steadiness,  self-possession,  and  quickness  are  ac- 
quired by  the  practiced  hunter,  and  I  may  add  the  prac- 
ticed in  any  art.  The  Indian  hunter,  whose  senses  of 
hearing  and  smelling  are  exercised  from  early  infancy, 
seem  to  equal  the  instinct  of  animals;  he  will  discern  the 
slightest  movement  in  the  thicket,  almost  impervious  to 
the  common  e3^e ;  the  head,  or  even  the  bill  of  a  turkey, 
although  perfectly  motionless,  will  be  discovered  by  him 
through  the  long  grass  of  the  prairie. 

On  our  return,  the  dogs  raised  a  bear,  who  after  a  short 
chase  took  refuge  in  a  cave  at  the  foot  of  a  high  rocky 
cliff.  The  hounds  barked  furiously  at  the  entrance  of  the 
low-browed  cavern,  but  did  not  dare  to  venture  in.  We 
must  have  this  fellow,  said  the  Colonel,  and  immediately 
proceeded  to  kindle  a  fire,  after  which  he  formed  several 
torches  by  twisting  the  inner  fibers  of  dry  bark,  which  he 
placed  on  the  end  of  a  stick.  One  of  them  being  lighted, 
the  hunter  w^as  ordered  to  crawl  into  the  cave  as  far  as 
he  could,  in  order  to  reconnoitre.  Cuffee  obeyed,  but  had 
gone  but  a  little  way  in,  when  he  uttered  a  scream  and 
crawled  back  much  faster  than  he  had  entered.  "He's  a 
snorter,  massa,  1  tell  you,"  said  Cufi'ee;  "he'd  jump  at 
me  like  a  porpus,  and  sneeze  out  de  light,  z'  quick  as  tun- 
der."  The  Colonel  now  determined  to  venture  in  himself. 
Preparing  a  new  torch  he  entered  with  it  in  one  hand, 
and  his  rifle  in  the  other.  In  a  few  seconds,  we  heard  a 
shot,  and  out  rushed  the  bear ;  he  was  instantly  seized  by 
the  dogs,  appeared  to  be  badly  wounded,  and  w^as  soon 
dispatched  Ijy  the  hunter,  while  in  the  mean  time  the 
Colonel  joined  us.  According  to  his  account,  the  bear 
had  again  extinguished  the  torch,  either  by  a  puff  or  a 
blow  with  his  paw,  and  then  retreated  to  his  bed  in  the 
back  of  the  cave,  but  not  before  the  place  had  been  noted 
by  the  Colonel,  who  now  fired  at  iiiml>y  guess,  on  which 


220  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

Bruin  rushed  to  the  entrance  ;  the  Colonel  lay  flat,  and 
the  bear,  squeezing  himself  over  his  back,  got  out  of  the 
cave.  I  asked  whether  he  had  whispered  in  his  ear  as  he 
passed.  "  Yes,"  said  he,  "  he  told  me,  w^henever  I  wished 
to  have  a  thing  well  done,  I  must  do  it  myself." 

We  returned  for  late  dinner,  which  was  excellent,  with 
the  addition  of  fresh  venison  steaks.  The  Colonel  pressed 
me  to  stay  some  days  longer,  but  I  had  made  up  my  mind 
to  proceed  to  St.  Louis  next  morning,  and  with  that  true 
hospitality  which  welcomes  the  coming  and  speeds  the 
parting  guest,  he  insisted  no  further. 

In  the  evening  he  took  me  again  to  the  armory,  instead 
of  the  library,  where  I  might  find  instruction  and  amuse- 
ment ;  yet  it  was  not  without  some  association  of  literary 
ideas,  for  I  found  myself  mechanically  repeating  the  first 
line  of  the  -^neid, 

"  Arma,  virumque  cano " 


My  thoughts  ^vere  soon  recalled  by  the  following  speech  : 
"I  perceive,  my  dear  sir,  that  you  are  badly  provided 
for  traveling  in  this  wilderness  country — you  have  no 
arms  that  I  can  see,  not  even  a  jack-knife — this  won't 
do — you  can't  always  have  a  friend  to  stand  by  you ;  so 
I  will  provide  you  with  one  or  two,  that  will  never  miss 
fire  in  time  of  need.  Take  these,  sir,"  said  he,  handing  me 
a  pair  of  plain  pistols ;  "  I'll  warrant  them  good — there  is 
no  mistake  in  them."  I  declined  the  gift  at  first,  but  he 
insisted,  and  in  addition  pressed  the  rifle  on  me  which 
I  had  not  used  that  day.  So  thus  I  am  armed  cajy-a-pie, 
as  it  were  while  asleep,  and  contrary  to  all  my  resolu- 
tions !  Perhaps  there  was  a  little  of  the  devil  at  the  bot- 
tom, tempting  me  to  the  possession  of  articles  rather 
much  in  the  way  of  our  nature,  especially  when  youth 
and  a  spirit  of  adventure  prevail.     I  was  glad  he  did  not 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  221 

offer  me  a  dirk,  for  I  should  have  positively  refused,  by 
which  I  ini<,^ht  have  lost  something  iu  his  good  opiuiou. 

To  enable  the  reader  to  form  an  idea  of  the  desperate 
intrepidity  of  my  host,  I  will  select  from  a  hundred  in- 
stances the  following.  One  of  the  diggers  at  the  mines, 
a  man  of  ferocious  character  and  herculean  frame,  either 
of  his  own  accord,  or  instigated  by  some  of  the  imps 
of  Satan  about  the  mines,  resolved  to  assassinate  the 
Colonel,  and  thus  get  rid  of  the  floating  grant  and  the 
great  monopolist.  Taking  his  rifle,  for  he  was  a  great  shot, 
he  went  to  the  house  of  his  intended  victim,  and  chal- 
lenged him  to  a  trial  of  skill  at  a  mark,  that  is  to  say,  the 
best  in  three,  at  the  head  of  a  nail,  at  the  distance  of  sixty 
yards.  The  challenge  was  of  course  promptly  accepted, 
and  they  proceeded  to  some  distance  from  the  house, 
where  the  ruffian  seized  the  first  opportunity,  when  the 
Colonel  was  off"  his  guard,  to  turn  the  muzzle  of  his  rifle  on 
his  unsuspecting  companion  ;  but  in  the  haste  which  at- 
tended guilt,  his  ball  passed  through  the  Colonel's  left 
shoulder  without  inflicting  a  mortal  wound.  He  fell,  the 
assailant  rushed  upoii  him,  and  fell  with  him  to  the 
ground,  although  uppermost ;  while  the  Colonel,  whose 
presence  of  mind  never  forsook  him,  drew  his  dirk,  but 
missing  his  aim,  drove  it  into  his  own  thigh ;  he  drew  it  out, 
struck  the  assassin  on  the  ribs ;  the  weapon  bent,  and  as 
a  last  desperate  eff"ort,  he  drew  it  across  the  stomach  of 
the  ruffian,  inflicting  a  mortal  wound.  The  assassin,  who 
had  been  endeavoring  to  seize  the  Colonel  l)y  the  throat, 
now  released  his  hold,  and  they  both  lay  for  some  time 
bathed  in  l)lood.  The  slaves  coming  up,  carried  them 
both  into  the  house.  And  here  it  may  be  mentioned  as 
a  proof  of  the  magnanimity  of  the  Colonel,  that  by  his  or- 
ders every  attention  was  paid  to  his  treacherous  enemy 
until  he  died  of  his  wounds. 


222  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

I  think  it  is  Talleyrand  who  says,  that  in  traveling 
westward  from  the  Atlantic  cities  of  the  United  States, 
one  seems  to  be  traveling  up  through  modern  times  to 
the  middle  ages  of  feudal  barbarity.  The  incident  just 
related  bears  a  strong  resemblance  to  those  times,  when 
the  bold  Baron  either  above  the  laws,  or  without  the  laAVS, 
or  respect  for  the  civil  magistracy,  appealed  on  all  oc- 
casions of  difference  with  his  fellow-man,  to  God  and  his 
good  siuord. 


CHAPTER   XXIII. 

Touch  of  Knight-errantry  and  Adventures — Arrive  at  St.  Louis. 

Forbear  your  smile,  gentle  reader,  as  you  behold  the 
author  on  his  solitary  way,  transformed,  all  at  once,  into 
the  appearance  of  a  knight-errant,  armed  with  one  long 
rifle  gun  and  two  short  pistols!  What  a  change  from  a 
man  of  peace,  a  book-worm,  a  philosopher !  Here  we 
have  another  proof  how  difficult  it  is  to  avoid  falling  into 
the  ways  of  the  people  among  whom  we  have  to  live,  how- 
over  repugna^nt  to  our  previous  opinions  of  what  is  agree- 
alile  to  reason,  and  however  revolting  to  our  former  feel- 
ings they  may  be.  At  Rome  we  become  Romans,  among 
the  Abyssinians  we  eat  raw  beef  cut  from  the  flank  of  a 
living  cow,  among  the  Mandans  we  luxuriate  on  stewed 
dog's  flesh,  and  in  our  new  remote  settlements  we  cany 
tnurderous  weapons  about  us,  and  imbibe  a  savage  spirit 
which  instigates  the  use  of  them. 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  I  had  formed  the  reso- 
lution not  to  carry  arms  about  my  person,  being  of  opin- 
ion that  the  very  circumstance  of  being  armed  has  a  tend- 
ency to  invite  attack,  and,  on  the  contrary,  that  the  cir- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  223 

cumstancc  of  bcin^  without  arms  is  often  a  protection. 
A  brave  man  will  not  attack  a  woman,  a  priest,  a  coward, 
or  the  unarmed.  When  I  was  challenged  by  our  unprin- 
cipled captain  of  the  boat  at  New  Madrid,  who  placed 
two  butcher-knives  at  my  feet,  and  bade  me  take  choice, 
I  was  struck  with  horror  rather  than  with  fear ;  perhaps 
if  we  had  both  been  armed  with  dirks,  in  a  moment  of 
mutual  rage  and  insult  they  might  have  been  as  readily 
used  as  if  they  had  been  rattans.  In  analyzing  my  feel- 
ings, I  confess  that  the  idea  of  being  thought  a  coward, 
the  most  degrading  imputation  which  could  attach  itself 
to  a  man  in  this  state  of  society,  almost  goaded  me  to 
madness.  Scarcely  a  day  had  passed  since  the  occur- 
rence referred  to  without  my  calling  it  to  mind  ;  some- 
times in  wayward  fancy  I  seemed  to  grasp  a  knife,  at 
another  time  pointed  a  pistol,  and  the  hateful  subject  was 
never  entirely  mastered,  or  dismissed  from  my  mind,  until 
six  months  afterward,  when  I  returned  to  the  spot  where 
1  had  been  thus  insulted,  and  flourished  around  my  foe  ; 
who  had,  in  the  mean  time,  sunk  into  such  general  con- 
tempt that  it  was  enough  to  act  on  the  defensive,  in  case 
he  should  dare  to  molest  me,  which  was  not  the  case. 
Such  is  the  fiendish  spirit  which  appears  to  take  pos- 
session of  this  state  of  society,  as  though  it  were  its  own  I 
I  think  it  was  a  wise  law  of  Solon,  at  Athens,  which yb?*- 
hade  the  canying  arms,  excepting  while  engaged  in  war 
or  hunting  ;  and  this  restraint  is  considered  b}'  the  author 
of  Anacharsis  as  one  of  the  first  principles  of  civilization. 
Without  being  an  Achilles,  to  throw  aside  the  distaflf 
and  handle  the  sword  and  buckler  with  delight,  I  must 
say  in  candor  that  I  took  no  small  pleasure  in  alternately 
examining  my  arms.  It  was  not  long  before  an  opportunity 
offered  for  making  a  trial  of  my  pistols ;  this  was  neither 
a  bandit,  an  Osage,  nor  a  bear  or  jyanther;  it  was  a  poor 


224  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

polecat,  quietly  squatted  near  a  log  by  the  roadside. 
Here,  thought  I,  is  my  first  adventure  as  a  knight-errant, 
and  drawing  one  of  my  pistols,  and  without  being  an  ex- 
traordinary shot,  in  a  country  where  every  one  shoots  as 
soon  as  he  is  born,  I  laid  her  dead  on  the  spot,  before  she 
had  time  to  use  her  defensive  artiller}'".  Soon  after,  a 
raccoon  made  his  appearance,  crouched  in  the  fork  of  a  low 
tree,  and  my  other  pistol  was  tried  with  equal  success. 
Without  anything  further  worth  relating,  I  reached  the 
Maramec  River  early  in  the  afternoon,  after  a  ride  of 
thirty  miles,  having  passed  but  one  cabin  about  half  way, 
and  having  met  no  one  in  the  course  of  the  day. 

The  ferry  flat  and  skiff  were  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  which  was  about  three  hundred  yards  wide,  filled 
from  bank  to  bank  by  back  water  from  the  Mississippi, 
and  of  course  without  any  perceptible  current.  The  land- 
ing-place where  I  stood  was  at  the  mouth  of  a  deep,  nar- 
row creek,  also  full  to  the  brim.  No  house  was  to  be  seen 
on  the  opposite  side,  and  after  calling  for  half  an  hour,  no 
one  appeared.  I  began  to  be  apprehensive  that  the  place 
bad  been  abandoned,  or  the  person  attending  the  ferry 
was  absent  from  home,  as  his  custom  probably  did  not 
require  his  daily  and  hourl}'-  attention.  To  return  fifteen 
miles  did  not  suit  my  inclination  ;  a  fire  might  be  kindled 
to  keep  off  wolves  or  panthers,  but  I  was  hungry,  and 
had  nothing  for  my  horse.  As  it  was  growing  late,  and 
my  situation  becoming  more  unpleasant,  the  bright  idea 
entered  my  head  to  swim  my  horse  across,  and  return 
with  the  skiff  for  my  effects,  or,  as  it  is  expressed,  for  my 
plunder.  Without  taking  time  to  give  a  full  examination 
to  this  prefect,  which  was  attended  with  dangers  I  have 
often  thought  of  since,  I  took  off  my  clothes,  and  leaving 
them  with  the  rest  of  my  things  at  the  root  of  a  tree, 
mounted  my  horse  after  the  manner  of  the  ancient  cen- 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  225 

taiirs,  and  forced  him  to  plunge  into  the  water,  probably 
not  less  than  twenty  feet  in  depth.  Unfortunately,  not 
being  aware  at  that  time  that,  in  swimming  a  horse,  he 
must  not  be  checked  by  the  rein,  I  caused  him  to  rear  up 
and  throw  me  off;  for  an  instant  we  were  tete-a-tete,  like 
the  picture  of  the  lion  and  the  unicorn ;  but  being  afraid 
of  his  fore  feet,  I  dashed  water  into  his  eyes,  which  caused 
him  to  turn,  and,  instead  of  swimming  across  the  river, 
he  contented  himself  with  gaining  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  creek,  and  which,  after  some  difficulty,  he  succeeded 
in  ascending.  When  on  firm  land,  he  took  to  his  heels  up 
the  bottom,  over  logs  and  among  vines  and  briers.  I  fol- 
lowed after,  and  perhaps  not  knowing  me  in  my  present 
disguise,  he  )vas  unwilling  to  be  taken,  until  his  bridle 
getting  fast  in  a  bush,  I  got  possession  of  him  once  more. 
The  plunge  into  the  river  was  now  repeated,  from  neces- 
sity, with  the  same  bad  success ;  but  this  time  he  tame 
out  where  we  first  entered,  and  there  ensued  another  chase 
after  him  down  the  river  bottom ;  he  was  not  overtaken 
until  manv  a  bruise  and  scratch  had  most  feelinirlv  taught 
me  the  folly  of  this  mode  of  crossing  rivers.  If  any  one 
had  seen  me  in  this  flight,  he  might  have  made  a  fine 
story  of  it — either  a  nondescript  animal,  resembling  the 
human  species,  or  a  wild  man  chasing  a  horse;  perhaps 
amphibious,  perhaps  part  horse  and  part  alligator  ! 

When  my  original  position  was  thus  regained,  and 
when  I  reflected  on  the  incidents  of  the  last  half  hour — 
for  they  had  transi)ired  very  rai)idly — my  mind  was  com- 
pletely reconciled  to  my  lot ;  I  began  to  look  about  me  for 
materials  to  make  a  fire  and  encamp  for  the  night.  At 
this  juncture,  happening  to  look  up  at  one  of  the  trees 
which  stood  near  the  landing,  a  horn  suspended  by  a 
string  caught  my  eye,  and  with  a  sagacity  for  which  some 
credit  is  due  to  me,  without  further  reflection,  it  was  taken 

20 


226  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

down,  and,  giving  a  few  blasts  on  it,  to  my  great  joy  it 
was  iustantl}^  answered  by  a  similar  instrument  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river.  A  dapper  little  fellow,  who  might 
be  of  the  tribe  of  the  fairies,  in  order  to  complete  the  ro- 
mance of  the  scene,  made  his  appearance,  and  without 
saying  a  word,  in  vrhich  he  showed  a  sagacity  equal  to 
my  own,  brought  over  his  flat  and  ferried  me  across,  and 
thus  ended  my  adventure,  without  rendering  it  necessary 
to.  perform  the  ceremony  of  watching  mv  arms  in  the 
open  air  before  receiving  the  honor  of  knighthood  ;  yet  I 
have  known  some  who  performed  their  novitiate  with  less 
danger. 

The  ferryman  led  me  to  his  abode,  a  cabin  made  of 
poles,  and  so  low  that  I  could  scarcely  get  in  without 
crawling.  A  small  dog  and  a  cat  were  the  only  inmates 
besides  their  master  ;  and  all  he  could  furnish  for  my  sup- 
per was  a  few  cakes  of  indian-meal  and  some  fried  bacon 
skins,  the  meat  having  been,  as  we  say  in  Congress, 
"specially  appropriated."  My  poor  horse  fared,  if  pos- 
sible, still  worse,  a  half  dozen  ears  of  corn  being  all  that 
he  could  give  him.  My  saddle  served  me  for  a  pillow, 
and  saddle-blanket  and  great- coat  for  a  bed,  while  the 
exertions  and  fatigue  of  the  day  enabled  me  to  sleep  as 
soundly  as  if  I  had  been  placed  on  a  bed  of  down.  I 
could  not  refrain  from  asking  mine  host  what  had  induced 
him  to  choose  this  hermitage  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  from 
any  neighbor,  and  thus  pass  his  days  in  so  comfortless 
and  solitary  a  manner.  He  gave  me  his  reasons  at  such 
length,  and  in  such  minute  detail,  that  I  fell  asleep  while 
he  was  talking;  and  as  he  was  still  talking  when  I  awoke 
in  the  morning,  it  is  probable  that  he  might  have  been 
thus  engaged  during  the  whole  night. 

I  continued  my  journey  earl}^,  having  ten  miles  to  ride 
before  breakfast.    The  Mississippi  once  more  made  its  ma- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  227 

jo.^tic  appearance  at  Yukle  Pocbc,  or  empty  pocket,  better 
known  among  my  countrymen  as  Wheat  Bush,  although 
its  true  name  is  Carondelet.  This  is  one  of  those  poor 
villages  consisting  of  twenty  or  thirty  hovels,  with  trifling 
fjardeus,  and  no  surrounding  fields,  which  might  have 
been  seen  at  that  day  in  these  parts  of  Upper  Louisiana. 
At  the  public  house,  w^iich  was  distinguished  from  the 
rest  by  a  long  pole  and  a  bunch  of  cedar  boughs  fastened 
to  the  top,  I  obtained  a  good  breakfast,  not  a  little  im- 
proved by  the  best  of  all  seasoning,  a  good  appetite. 
After  this  I  set  out  on  my  last  stage  for  the  capital  of 
Missouri,  or  Upper  Louisiana,  as  it  was  called,  which  was 
distant  about  seven  miles.  The  road  was  good  but  sol- 
itary, no  house  or  habitation  appearing  until  I  came  in 
sight  of  the  town.  This,  I  could  perceive  at  the  first 
glance,  was  a  noble  site  for  a  city,  occupying  a  splendid 
plain,  rising  in  two  stages  from  the  bold  rock-bound 
shore  of  the  river. 

After  crossing  a  stone  bridge  in  a  dilapidated  state,  I 
approached  a  long  and  straggling  suburb,  each  side  of  the 
road,  for  it  could  scarcely  be  called  a  street,  with  some 
tolerable  gardens  and  orchards.  As  I  entered  the  more 
populous  i>art,  I  lifted  up  mine  eyes  and  beheld  a  glo- 
rious spectacle  :  a  splendid  procession  was  advancing  to 
meet  me.  The  mingled  voices  of  males  and  females  filled 
the  air  with  inspiring  music.  What  shall  I  say  to  these 
people  ?  They  take  me  b}'  surprise — they  do  me  great 
honor — it  is  more  than  I  can  bear.  It  was  thus  that  Gen- 
eral Washington  was  received,  after  the  Revolution,  when 
he  entered  Philadelphia ;  Petrarch,  when  he  received  the 
laurel-crown,  was  thus  welcomed  on  his  entrance  into 
Rome  ;  and  Cicero,  after  his  banishment,  when  he  modestly 
said:  Unus  ille  dies  mihi  quidam  instar  immortalitatis 
fuit — cum  senatum egressum  mdi,populumque Bomanum 


228  BRACKENRIDO    'S 

universum  cum  mihi  ipsa  Roma,  j^rope  convulsa  sedibus 
suis,  ad  comjjlectendam  conser^vatorem  suum  procedere 
visa  est — "  when  Rome  seemed  to  leap  from  her  founda- 
tions to  embrace  her  deliverer."*  But  how  the  deuce  did 
they  find  out  that  I  was  coming,  or  was  to  be  here  at  this 
exact  time  ?  Perhaps  they  had  heard  of  my  speeches  at 
St.  Genevieve,  and  some  had  been  dispatched  before  me 
post  haste  from  Yuide  Poche ;  and  besides,  they  might 
have  taken  the  trouble  to  obtain  exact  information  of  all 
my  movements  !  Such  were  the  idle  vagaries,  half  hu- 
morous and  half  vanity,  which  passed  through  my  mind 
as  I  met  one  of  those  ancient  religious  processions,  com- 
posed of  the  whole  population,  in  their  best  apparel,  and 
led  by  the  most  splendid  beauties  of  the  town.  Those 
who  took  the  lead  on  this  occasion  were  two  young  ladies 
of  extraordinary  beauty,  holding  silver  plates  in  their 
hands,  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  charitable  donations 
at  the  church  door.  I  retired  into  a  little  cross  alley  until 
the  procession  passed  by,  and  then  spurred  my  horse  to 
the  only  public  house  in  the  place,  which  was  kept  by  a  gen- 
teel Frenchman  in  the  building  which  had  formerly  served 
as  the  palace  of  the  Lieutenant-Governor.  And  now,  for 
the  present,  gentle  reader, — 

Vale, 
Valefef 

*  "  That  day  was  to  mo  an  immort.ality — when  the  Senate  and 
the  wliole  of  the  people  of  Home  came  forth  to  meet  me,  and  the 
city  itself  seemed  to  leap  from  her  foundations  to  embrace  her 
preserver." 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  TUE    WEST.  229 


CHAPTER   XXI  y. 

A  Slight  Survey  of  the  Coast — Herr  Shewe. 

The  reader  may  have  observed  that  in  the  incident 
related  in  the  last  chapter  a  fine  scene  was  presented  for 
one  of  those  happy  mistakes  which  occur  in  Don  Quixote, 
or  in  my  father's  Modern  Chivalry  ;  a  work  second  only 
to  that  of  Cervantes  in  the  seasoning  of  genuine  wit, 
sprinkled  over  the  solid  substance  of  true  philosophy. 
For  my  part,  I  was  not  quite  so  far  gone  in  folly  and 
conceit  as  to  be  deceived  in  this  palpable  manner,  yet  I 
had  vanity  enough  to  be  very  highly  gratified  with  the 
real  attentions  paid  me  the  day  after  my  arrival.  But 
the  visits  of  strangers  to  St.  Louis,  at  that  day,  were 
angels'  visits  compared  to  what  they  are  now,  and  it  was 
therefore  not  very  wonderful  that  many  of  the  respect- 
able resident  Americans,  Secretary  Bates  among  the  rest, 
honored  me  with  a  call.  I  was  glad  to  meet  with  my 
friend  Graham,  who  by  this  time  had  made  himself  at 
home  in  this  place,  and  was  generally  esteemed. 

I  found  Dr.  Saugrain  comfortably  established  in  a 
neat  cottage  at  the  lower  end  of  the  town,  with  a  pretty 
shrubbery  in  front,  and  a  kitchen-garden  and  orchard  in 
the  rear.  I  was  delighted  with  his  family,  his  pretty 
little  daughters,  and  amiable  wife ;  took  soup  with  him, 
drank  a  glass  of  claret,  and  talked  over  old,  and  hard 
times  too,  at  St.  Genevieve.  It  was  worth  to  me  a  jour- 
ney to  St.  Louis  to  see  him  thus  surrounded  by  his  in- 
teresting family,  and  after  all  his  mishaps  and  worldly 

20* 


230  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

tribulations,  thus  safely  anchored  amid  the  blessings  of 
dulce  domum. 

One  of  the  very  first  I  went  to  ex2-)lore  was  my  old 
preceptor,  Herr  Frederick  Shewe,  named  after  the  great 
Frederick  of  Prussia,  and  of  whom  I  have  already  spoken. 
But,  alas  !  quantum  mufatus  ah  illof  Instead  of  the  black- 
coated,  ruffle-shirted,  and  silk-stockinged  (and  Avell-shapen 
was  that  leg,  and  well  did  its  owner  know)  professor  of 
the  French  and  German  languages,  and  sometime  pastor 
of  the  Dutch  Lutheran  church,  I  beheld  a  little  man  with 
a  high  forehead  and  bald — the  head  of  a  sage,  adorned 
with  grizzly  locks,  standing  in  his  shirt  sleeves,  meanly 
half  clad,  behind  a  sort  of  counter,  and  surrounded  with 
barrels  and  boxes,  and  things  of  all  sorts  on  shelves,  in  a 
very  dirty  shop  filled  with  a  commingled  smell  of  fish, 
molasses,  soap,  and  onions.  But  the  meeting  was  not  the 
less  joyous  on  his  part ;  he  leapt  from  behind  his  counter, 
threw  his  arms  around  me,  and  applied  his  unshaven, 
and  perhaps  unwashed  face,  to  mine,  with  a  warmth  of 
aflfection  which  I  could  have  readily  excused.  And  then 
he  capered,  and  danced,  and  sung,  and  laughed,  and  cried. 
In  truth  I  was  always  among  the  few  who  could  appre- 
ciate the  merits  of  Shewe.  He  was  an  original — but 
that  was  not  all ;  with  many  things  to  render  him  ridicu- 
lous, and  very  little  to  command  the  respect  of  society, 
he  had  some  qualities  in  the  eyes  of  a  man  above  preju- 
dice, and  who  does  not  scorn  to  pick  up  a  gem  out  of  a 
humble  place,  which  caused  him  to  be  better  thought  of, 
than  a  better  man. 

At  that  day  the  population  of  St.  Louis  consisted  of 
Canadian  French,  a  few  Spaniards,  and  other  Europeans, 
with  a  somewhat  larger  proportion  of  Americans.  It 
had  less  of  the  appearance  of  a  rural  village  than  St. 
Genevieve,  the  inhabitants  not  depending  on  agriculture 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  231 

for  their  subsistence,  but  on  trade,  chiefly  with  the  Indians 
for  furs,  and  on  the  employment  under  the  government. 
A  few  individuals  had  acquired  wealth  ;  among  them  the 
family  of  the  Chouteau  were  the  most  distinguished,  and 
their  dwellings,   which  by  comparison  might  be   called 
palaces,  towered  above  the  more  humble  abodes  of  the 
plebeians,  and  less  wealthy  burghers.     They  were  large 
stone  edifices  with    galleries    in  front,  and  self-inclosed 
with  massive  stone  walls  like  demi-fortresses.     I  made  a 
visit  to  the   elder  Chouteau,   a  venerable-looking  man, 
with  a  fine  intellectual  head,  and  was  introduced  to  one 
of  the  largest  private  libraries  I  had  seen,  chiefly  con- 
sisting of  folio  and   quarto,  from  which   circumstance  I 
conjectured  they  had  once  belonged  to  the  Jesuits,  who, 
half  a  century  before,  had  a  college  at  Kaskaskia. 

Monsieur  Chouteau  offered  me  the  free  use  of  this 
library,  of  which  I  gladly  availed  myself.     Here  I  found 
several  of  the  early  writers  of  travels  and  descriptions  of 
Louisiana  and  Illinois,  such  as  Lahonton,  Lafiteau,  Hene- 
per,  Charlevoix,  etc.,  which  I  took  to  my  lodgings  to  read 
at  night,  being  always  a  night  student;  but  I  spent  some 
hours  in  the  day  in  examining,  and  in  perusing  this  fine 
collection.     Although  still  but  a  youth,  my  book  knowl- 
edge was  more  than  commonly  extensive  ;  having  adopted 
the  advice  of  Bacon,  viz.:    "  Some  books  are  to  be  per- 
used, some  to  be  read,  and  some  to  be  studied."     The 
drudgery  and  sameness  of  mere  business,  I  felt  as  waste 
of  time,  and  interference  with  reading,  and  the  solitary 
meditation  in  my  walks.* 

*  One  day  that  truly  good  and  wise  man,  Bisnop  Carroll, 
happening  to  be  in  the  Baltimore  Library  (a  place  which  I  much 
frequented),  observed  me  reading  "  Eousscau's  Confession,"  and 
said:  "  My  son,  that  is  not  a  proper  book  for  j-ou  to  read."  Aha! 
thought  I,  yoH  have  read  it  then  !  My  reply  was,  "I  know  it, 
sir,  but  I  shall  only  read  U  once;''  and  I  kept  my  word. 


232  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

My  chief  amusement  for  some  time  consisted  in  saun- 
tering over  the  open  country,  west  of  the  town,  where 
there  was  nothing  to  interrupt  the  pleasing  solitude  of  my 
rambles,  except  a  small  grist-mill  belonging  to  Monsieur 
Chouteau,  near  a  pretty  artificial  lake,  formed  as  a  reser- 
voir to  supply  the  mill.  At  this  time  the  whole  of  Upper 
Louisiana,  that  is  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  contained  only 
about  ten  thousand  souls,  besides  Indians,  and  in  the 
whole  of  Illinois  there  were  not  more.  It  was  "  a  little 
cloud  not  bigger  than  a  man's  hand,"  appearing  in  a  clear 
sky ;  or  like  a  little  green  island  of  a  few  acres,  amid  the 
vast  expanse  of  a  surrounding  ocean. 

It  was  ni}^  good  fortune  to  form  an  acquaintance  with 
General  Clark,  the  Indian  agent,  and  celebrated  as  the 
companion  of  Captain  Lewis,  in  the  eventful  and  perilous 
voyage  of  the  Missouri,  the  passage  of  the  Rocky  Mount- 
ains, and  the  descent  of  the  Columbia  River  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean.  He  was  extremely  friendly  and  communicative, 
exhibited  to  me  his  collection  of  Indian  curiosities,  of 
which  he  had  quite  a  museum,  and  took  pleasure  in  re- 
lating many  very  interesting  particulars.  His  office,  and 
that  of  Mr.  Bates,  who  had  an  extensive  library,  and 
whose  mind  was  richly  stored  with  literature,  became  my 
favorite  resorts.  Intending  to  pass  a  couple  of  months 
here,  I  thought  it  a  good  opportunity  to  apply  myself  to 
the  Spanish  language,  having  met  with  a  gentleman  who 
was  master  of  it,  and  who  consented  to  give  me  daily 
instruction.  This  constituted  my  chief  regular  occupa- 
tion, and  1  made  rni)id  progress  in  a  language  destined 
to  be  of  great  use  to  me  at  a  future  period. 

There  was  no  l)ookstore  or  public  library,  but  a  news- 
paper had  been  established  by  Mr.  Joseph  Charless, 
with  whom  I  l)ecame  acquainted,  and  who  favored  me 
with  the  perusal  of  his  exchange  papers,  while  in  turn 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  233 

I  communicated   a  numl)or   of  original   articles  for   his 
Gazette. 

The  shop  of  Shewe  was  often  resorted  to  by  me,  not 
as  a  customer,  but  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  him  talk, 
and  at  the  same  time  of  whetting-  my  own  faculties,  as 
we  rub  a  razor  on  a  strap.     He  had  a  little  back  room  in 
which  he  kept  his  l)ooks,  a  curious  collection,  though  not 
large,  where  he  had  also  some  chemical  apparatus,  and  a 
small  cabinet  of  minerals,  a  subject  on  which  I  was  de- 
sirous of  obtaining  some  knowledge.    Although  not  very 
perfect  in  anything,  he  pretended  to  have  some  acquaint- 
ance with  every  subject;  his  reading  was  various   l)ut 
not  deep ;  but  he  had  traveled  much,  and  notwithstand- 
ing his  love  of  humor,  his  mind  was  stored  with  original 
and  profound  observations,  to  which  a  certain  grotesque 
character  was  imparted  by  his  singular  language,  a  mix- 
ture of  German,  a  little  Latin,   bad  French,  and  worse 
English,  which  rendered  it  unintelligible  to  most  persons, 
but  which  to  me   only  made  it  the  more  piquant  and 
graphic.     lie  had  followed  the  occupation  of  miniature 
painter  for  some  time  after  his  arrival ;  he  was  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  principles  of  drawing,  and  in  landscape 
was  pas.sable,  but  his  attempts  on  the  human  countenance, 
to   say  the  least,  were  not  successful,  being  deplorably 
deficient  in  resemblance,  and  the  coloring  execrable.    The 
consequence  was  that  some  of  his  very  best  works,  at 
least   in   his   own  estimation,   were    left    on    his    hands. 
Shewe  could  not  submit   to  this  without  .seeking  some 
mode  of  revenge,  which  would  at  the  same  time  satisfy 
his  anger  and  avoid  the  necessity  of  going  to  law,  or 
shedding  blood.     He  took  a  large  sheet  of  paper,  drew 
a  circle  in  the  center  of  it,  and  then  surrounded  this  cir- 
cle with  the  most  hideous  figures  he  could   conceive, — 
devils  with  horns  and  pitchfork.s,  dragons  with  forked 


234  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

tongues,  crocodiles  with  open  jaws,  and  other  monstrous 
things,  and  which  was  then  stuck  on  the  wall.  In  the 
midst  of  these,  in  the  open  space,  he  placed  the  unfor- 
tunate portrait  which  happened  to  be  disowned :  ''  Tere 
you  rashkel,  paff,  shtay  in  Purgatortum  until  I  have  can 
get  my  ten  tallars,  jon  rashkel,  paff — tere  ish  no  retemp- 
tion,  you  neet  not  go  to  te  priest,  he  cannot  you  take  out 
fon  dat  place — paff,  te  voila  coquin  ;  tere  you  must  shtay, 
and  if  you  dont  pring  te  money  soon  by  and  by,  tere  is 
an  odor  place,  paff — fiel  varmer,  mit  primshtone  and  fire!" 
This  was  followed  up  by  one  of  his  tremendous  cachina- 
tory  explosions ;  which  showed  much  more  gratification 
at  the  contemplation  of  his  own  humor  and  ingenuity 
than  malignity  of  revenge. 

I  thought  of  a  plan  to  raise  my  old  friend  a  little  in 
public  opinion,  and  which  might  possibly  be  of  service 
to  him  on  some  future  occasion ;  this  was  to  confer  on 
him  the  title  of  Doctor.  When  I  proposed  it,  he  made 
some  objections — ''From  what  shall  I  pee  tocktor — paff, 
it  ish  enough  for  me  to  pee  a  honest  man."  I  explained 
to  him  the  advantages,  as  well  as  the  honor  to  be  derived 
from  it,  and  assured  him  it  would  be  merely  assuming 
his  proper  rank,  when  every  one  was  endeavoring  to 
obtain  titles  to  which  they  had  no  just  claim,  while  he 
was  a  scholar,  a  chemist,  a  painter,  a  divine,  a  philoso- 
pher, a  professor  of  languages,  raised  and  educated  as  a 
gentleman,  while  many  of  those  who  were  figuring  away 
as  great  men,  had  been  originally  shoeblacks,  hostlers, 
constables,  negro  traders,  gamblers,  and  horscjockeys. 
He  appeared  to  feel  the  justice  of  my  remarks,  and  after 
some  persuasion — "Paff,  you  shall  see  my  tiplomas,  I 
have  six  from  tern,  four  in  Latin — one  from  te  Eliziac 
Acatemy  from  Paris,  one  from  te  colleche  from  Perlin, 
one  from  te  shool  of  Mines  from  Saxony,  one  from  te  free 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  235 

mason  society."  "Enough,  my  friend,"  said  I,  "you 
have  enough  to  doctorize  the  whole  town  of  St.  Louis. 
I  will  take  a  turn  or  two  around  the  town,  and  by  to-mor- 
row you  shall  be  known  as  Doctor  Shewe,  and  no  one 
will  stop  to  inquire  whether  you  are  a  doctor  of  laws,  of 
medicine,  or  divinity."  This  was  accordingly  done  by 
me ;  I  spoke  of  him  to  about  a  dozen  persons  as  Doctor 
Shewe ;  in  two  days  he  was  universally  known  by  that 
title,  and  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  perceive  that  he  was 
spoken  to  after  this  by  persons  who  scarcely  took  notice 
of  him  before.  It  is  in  this  manner  that  so  many  majors 
and  colonels  are  made  or  promoted  every  day  in  the  new 
settlements.  A  foreigner  once  in  argument  with  me,  on 
the  stability  of  our  democratic  institutions,  referred  to 
this  love  of  title  as  a  proof  of  the  tendency  of  the  people 
toward  aristocracy  and  monarchy.  I  told  him  he  w^as 
mistaken,  for  it  only  proved  the  mutual  good  will  of  the 
people  to  each  other,  like  the  man  who  bequeathed  a 
hundred  pounds  to  a  friend,  himself  not  worth  a  shilling, 
merely  to  show  his  good  will. 


CHAPTER    XXY. 

The  Circuit — Incidents — Kevisits  New  Madrid. 

After  two  months  of  busy  idleness  at  St.  Louis,  pur- 
suing some  things  with  enthusiasm,  which,  unless  fortlie 
pleasure  they  afforded,  left  me  only  m}^  labor  for  my 
pain,s,  I  found  my  purse  (the  truest  friend  to  a  traveler 
in  a  strange  place)  sunk  to  a  low  ebb.  The  study  of  the 
Spanish  language  would  not,  however,  be  regarded  as 


236  BRACKEN  RIDGE' 8 

an  idle  pursuit ;  it  would  be  a  valuable  acquisition,  even 
as  connected  with  any  profession,  as  I  still  harbored  the 
design  of  going  to  New  Orleans.  But  in  my  ardent  in- 
quiries into  the  history,  geography,  curiosities,  and 
antiquities  of  the  country,  there  was  nothing  of  worldly 
thrift,  and  in  fact  it  was  a  sheer  loss  of  precious  time. 
The  utilitarian,  or  cui  bono  man,  must  look  upon  my 
enthusiasm  in  such  occupations  as  little  better  than  a 
silly  trifling,  and  as  I  grew  older  I  was  surprised  to  think 
that  I  should  have  engaged  heart  and  soul  in  pursuits 
which  could  not  afford  the  slightest  pecuniary  gain.  Yet, 
I  must  candidl}'"  admit,  that  fame  was  a  more  powerful 
motive  with  me  than  avarice,  and  that  I  have  been  more 
gratified  by  the  praise  of  Humboldt,  and  the  little  noto- 
riety I  have  acquired,  than  by  the  best  fees  I  ever  received 
from  my  clients.  But  this  is  not  a  common  fault  among 
my  countrymen,  few  of  whom  are  neglectful  of  what  is 
called  "the  main  chance."  Warned  by  the  low  state  of 
my  finances,  I  proposed  to  follow  the  county  courts, 
which  were  held  in  each  of  the  four  or  fiv^e  counties  of 
the  Territory  twice  a  j^ear,  while  the  Supreme  Court 
only  sat  in  two  places,  St.  Genevieve  and  St.  Louis.  I 
set  out  on  horseback  about  the  latter  end  of  September, 
in  company  with  a  young  lawyer  of  the  name  of  Allen, 
from  Virginia,  and  intended  to  go  to  St.  Genevieve,  Cape 
Girardeau,  and  New  Madrid,  where  I  had  landed  on  my 
first  arrival  in  the  country.  This  gentleman,  although 
not  profound  as  a  lawyer,  was  possessed  of  considerable 
talent  for  pu))lic  si)eaking,  especially  on  political  subjects; 
but  he  was  constitutionally  inert,  wanting  perseverance 
in  what  he  undertook,  commencing  fifty  things  and 
finishing  nothing.  I  found  him  a  very  pleasant  com- 
panion, and  lamented  his  fate,  when  ho  was  some  time 
afterward  killed  in  a  duel;  he  had  failed  in  this  ordeal, 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  037 

through  which  so  many  are  compelled  to  pass  in  the  new 
States  and  Territories. 

On  arriving  at  St.  Genevieve,  I  once  more  experienced 
the  kindness  of  Monsieur  and  Madame  Beauvais,  with 
whom  I  took  up  my  abode  during  the  court  week,  and  to 
whom  I  rendered  some  service  in  my  profession.  This  ex- 
cellent couple,  toward  whom  I  felt  the  affection  of  a  son, 
having  raised  a  family  of  thirteen  children,  had  parted 
with  the  last  of  them,  and  although  she  resided  with  her 
husband  in  the  village,  yet  that  hearth,  once  so  cheer- 
ful, had  become  solitary.  More  for  the  sake  of  society 
than  emolument,  they  had  agreed  to  take  a  lively,  young 
European  French  merchant  as  a  boarder  ;  but  he  had  not 
been  long  enough  in  the  country  to  find  out  that  the 
people  were  not  so  much  his  inferiors  in  information  and 
intelligence  as  he  imagined.  I  was  amused  one  evening 
with  the  tartness  of  Madame  Beauvais,  when  the  young 
man,  adapting  his  discourse  to  the  ignorance  of  his  hear- 
ers, informed  them,  "there  was  once  a  certain  man  called 
Mohammed,  who  pretended  to  have  received  direct  revela- 
tions from  heavbn,  who  wrote  a  book  called  the  Koran, 
but  that  he  was  a  great  impostor."  "My  friend,"  said 
the  old  lady,  "I  believe  you  Europeans  look  upon  us 
Creoles  (country  born)  as  no  better  than  .ravages,  as  you 
regard  the  savages  as  baboons.  As  you  have  given  us  a 
piece  of  news,  I  must  return  the  favor  by  informing  you 
that  there  is  such  a  place  as  Rome,  somewhere  on  the 
other  side  of  the  great  ocean,  and  that  a  person  called  the 
Pope,  of  whom,  I  i)resume,  you  have  never  heard,  resides 
there,  and  is  consklered  by  all  good  Catholics  as  tiie 
bead  of  their  church."  Monsieur  Beauvais  and  I  laugiied 
heartily  at  this  sail}',  while  the  coxcomb  was  not  a  little 
mortified.  The  truth  is,  this  fancied  superiority  is  often 
displayed  by  Eurojjeans  among  us,  who,  in   })utting  a 

•21 


238  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

finger  in  Jonathan's  mouth,  to  feel  for  a  soft  tooth,  have 
been  sometimes  severely  bitten. 

The  business  of  the  court,  held  by  two  judges  unlearned 
in  the  law,  with  the  aid  of  a  jury,  was  chiefly  of  that 
routine  kind  which  is  profitable  to  the  common  practicing 
attorney,  but  affords  little  interest  or  instruction.  The 
members  of  the  bar  were  young  men,  but  already  old  in 
their  profession,  where  there  were  none  older  than  them- 
selves. They  had  that  kind  of  confidence  and  boldness 
which  arises  from  there  being  no  older  barristers  to  over- 
top them  ;  they  felt  themselves  the  cocks  of  the  walk,  and 
perhaps  managed  their  cases  with  as  much  tact  as  the 
generality  who  had  been  twenty  years  at  the  bar.  What 
they  might  have  wanted  in  old  experience,  they  made  up 
by  youthful  fire  and  energy  ;  and  what  they  wanted  in 
polish,  was  fully  supplied  by  earnestness  and  boldness. 
When  Napoleon  was  told  that  he  was  sneered  at  by  some 
older  officers,  on  account  of  his  youth,  he  said,  "  Let  them 
sneer,  in  six  months  I  will  be  as  old  a  general  as  any  of 
them."  The  court,  however,  did  not  pass  off  without  the 
occurrence  of  one  of  those  incidents  characteristic  of  a 
state  of  society,  of  which  the  reader  may  have  formed 
some  idea  from  what  has  been  already  related.  An 
important  case  of  slander  was  tried  at  the  beginning  of 
the  week,  in  which  the  plaintiff  was  a  young  man  who 
had  been  a  clerk  in  a  store,  but  dismissed  for  embezzling 
three  hundred  dollars  belonging  to  his  employer.  The 
latter  had  acted  with  delicacy  in  consequence  of  the  re- 
spectability of  the  young  man's  connections,  but  the  cause 
of  the  dismissal  (such  things  cannpt  be  kept  secret) 
having  been  whispered  about,  he  was  compelled  to  give 
his  reasons,  and  well  had  it  been  for  the  clerk  if  he  had 
suffered  the  matter  to  rest  here,  but  his  brother,  a  physician 
of   respectable   standing,  cither   believing   his   younger 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  239 

brother  innocent,  or  determini'il  to  .silence  public  oijjnion 
by  compulsion,  took  the  matter  up,  and  instituted  the 
action  before  alluded  to.  The  injured  merchant  was  for- 
tunately well  prepared,  and  on  the  trial,  the  i)roof  was  so 
full  and  satisfactory,  that  there  was  no  room  for  the 
sliii'htest  doubt,  and  the  jury  without  hesitation  ^-ave  a 
verdict  in  his  favor.  The  plaintift",  or  his  brother,  had 
secured  all  the  bar,  but  there  happened  to  arrive  that 
very  week  a  younp;  lawyer  from  Kentucky,  who  was 
desirous  of  distinguishing-  himself,  and  possessing  first- 
rate  talents,  handled  the  subject  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
do  full  justice  to  his  client,  and  at  the  same  time  over- 
whelm the  defendant  with  shame.  A  challenge  ensued, 
which  was  borne  by  the  elder  brother  ;  but  as  it  could 
not  be  accepted  in  consequence  of  the  recent  disgrace  of 
the  principal,  the  second  insisted  on  taking  his  place. 
The  young  lawyer  and  his  friends  did  all  they  could  to 
avoid  the  duel,  but  in  vain.  He  considered  the  alterna- 
tive of  fighting  easier  to  encounter  than  the  certain 
di-sgrace  which  would  attend  his  refusal  in  the  false  judg- 
ment of  public  opinion.  The  meeting  took  place  before 
the  close  of  the  week,  and  the  physician  fell  at  the  first 
fire,  leaving  a  widow  and  seven  children  to  lament  his 
loss,  and  followed  by  the  regret  of  his  friends,  and  the 
community  in  general.  The  young  lawyer,  who  was  a 
man  of  feeling  and  i)r(»mising  talents,  was  no  doubt  ren- 
dered unhapi)y  fur  life,  thus  making  many  victims  to  false 
honor,  and  to  a  vitiated  state  of  public  morals.  This 
event,  it  may  be  readily  supposed,  was  not  likely  to  hold 
out  any  additional  inducement  to  my  becoming  a  perma- 
nent resident  in  this  Territory. 

The  court  after  this  was  held  at  Cape  Girardeau,  and 
I  retraced  the  road,  in  company  with  my  brethren  of  the 
bar,  which  I  had  traveled  on  foot  with  Bill  Uulin":s  aud 


240  J^RA  CKENRID  GE'S 

Mark  Higginbottom,  but  without  stopping  to  pay  my  re- 
spects to  the  Sbawancse  chiefs,  by  whom  we  had  been  so 
civilly  treated.  Nothing  remarkable  occurred  at  Cape 
Girardeau,  excepting  a  ludicrous  scene  with  the  two 
unlettered  sages  on  the  bench.  A  question  of  law  having 
arisen,  the  court  was  requested  to  decide,  and  after  a  full 
argument  they  took  a  moment  to  confer,  after  which  the 
presiding  judge  announced,  with  some  pomp  of  manner, 
that  they  were  ready  to  decide  ;  the  attorneys  requested 
that  the  decision  might  be  pronounced  as  the  judge  seemed 
to  hesitate,  notwithstanding  the  announcement.  "  May 
it  please  the  court,  did  we  not  understand  that  your  honor 
had  decided  ?"  ''  Yes — yes — ahem — the  court's  split !" 
I  thought  the  lawyers  would  split  their  sides  with 
laughter,  and  no  attempt  was  made  to  restore,  or  rather 
to  establish  order,  until  each  one  resumed  his  gravity  of 
his  own  accord. 

On  approaching  New  Madrid,  I  felt  a  desire  to  see  the 
interesting  family  where  I  had  passed  the  night,  and  the 
fine  children  with  whom  I  had  whiled  away  the  evening 
so  pleasantly,  around  the  fire  beneath  the  spreading  tree. 
As  I  approached  the  cabin,  everything  seemed  to  wear  a 
waste  and  deserted  appearance ;  but  little  progress  had 
been  made  in  clearing,  and  the  spots  already  cleared 
seemed  to  be  abandoned  to  coarse  weeds.  The  settler 
crawled  out  of  the  still  unfinished  dwelling  more  dead 
than  alive,  with  a  sad  and  wretched  expression  of  coun- 
tenance. He  soon  recognized  me,  pressed  my  hand,  and 
the  tears  stole  down  his  cheeks  as  he  spoke:  "Ah!  \\\j 
friend,  things  are  much  changed  since  that  pleasant  even- 
ing you  ])assed  with  mo  ;  I  was  then  happy,  indeed :  but 
God's  will  be  done  ;  we  nmst  kiss  the  rod  without  a  mur- 
mur. My  wife  and  four  of  my  beautiful  children  have 
fallen  victims  to  the  bilious  fever,  and  three  of  the  survi- 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  241 

vors  have  been  kindly  taken  by  some  of  my  neighbors, 
who  live  in  the  Big  Prairie.  My  oldest  daughter  and  my 
boys  are  with  me,  but  like  myself  just  recovering  from  a 
severe  attack.  It  is  only  a  few  months  since  I  was  sur- 
rounded by  fourteen  fine  children  ;  their  mother  is  now 
laid  in  the  grave,  and  my  family,  in  which  all  my  earthly 
hopes  were  centered,  has  been  scattered  like  chaff  before 
the  wind.  It  is  an  awful  lesson  of  the  instability  of  all 
things  here  below,  and  teaches  us  that  this  is  not  our 
home."  I  bade  adieu  to  the  worthy  but  unfortunate  man, 
with  a  heavy  heart,  and  was  still  meditating  upon  this 
incident,  so  well  calculated  for  deep  reflection,  when  I 
entered  the  town  of  Xew  Madrid. 

I  repaired  to  the  house  of  Madame  Peyroux,  the  widow 
of  Monsieur  Pe3Toux,  the  former  commandant  of  the  place. 
I  had  been  engaged  by  this  lady  in  some  claims  to  land 
in  different  parts  of  the  Territory,  and  besides  the  advant- 
age of  a  very  comfortable  lodging,  my  spare  time  was 
agreeably  employed  in  the  fine  library  left  by  her  husband, 
who  had  been  a  man  of  no  mean  literary  reputation. 
Monsieur  Peyroux  was  the  author  of  several  publications, 
chiefly  gcolugical,  of  considerable  merit.  In  one  of  his 
essays,  he  maintains  the  opinion,  with  much  ingenuit}^ 
that  the  northern  lakes  formerly  discharged  themselves 
into  the  Mississippi,  by  the  Illinois  as  well  as  by  the 
St.  Lawrence.  His  strongest  reason  is  drawn  from  the 
present  width  of  the  channel  of  the  Illinois,  which  appears 
to  have  once  contained  a  much  larger  river,  and  the 
appearance  of  the  naked  rocks  which  bound  the  valley  of 
the  Missi.ssippi,  below  the  Illinois,  as  far  down  as  the 
mouth  of  the  Ohio,  and  the  immense  alluvion  which 
stretches  thence  to  the  ocean.  At  no  distant  day,  the 
labor  and  ingenuity  of  man  will  restore  the  connection 
between  the  lakes  and  the  Mississippi,  by  means  of  an 

21* 


242  BRACKEXRIDGE'S 

artificial  canal,  thus  affording  the  greatest  extent  of  in- 
land navigation  in  the  world. 

After  the  court  was  over  at  New  Madrid,  I  retraced 
my  steps  to  St  Genevieve,  and  thence  to  St.  Louis,  for 
the  purpose  of  attending  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
Territory ;  and  by  this  time  I  had  fully  resolved  it  should 
close  my  professional  career  in  Upper  Louisiana. 


CHAPTER   XXYL 

The  Indian  Culprit— The  Trial— The  Defense. 

One  day  while  sauntering  along  the  high  ground,  or 
second  bank,  which  overlooked  the  narrow  plain  at  that 
time  containing  the  town  of  St.  Louis,  my  attention  was 
attracted  to  one  of  the  towers  near  the  old  Fort  (in  one  of 
whose  ruined  barracks  the  court  was  still  held),  by  an 
Indian  who  sat  near  the  iron  grate,  confined  as  a  prisoner 
for  some  high  offense.  The  poor  fellow  beckoned  to  me 
to  approach,  which  I  accordingly  did.  He  sat  between 
the  iron  door  and  the  grating,  with  a  checker-board  be- 
fore him,  to  which  he  directed  my  attention,  and  then 
asked  me  with  a  few  broken  words,  part  French  and  part 
English,  to  take  a  game  with  him.  Willing  to  gratify 
him  in  a  request  so  harmless,  I  stepped  forward  and  took 
a  seat  on  a  large  st(»ne,  which  did  not  appear  to  have 
come  there  of  itself,  first  taking  a  glance  at  the  person 
from  whom  I  received  this  polite  invitation.  His  only 
covering  was  the  l)lanket  fastened  round  liis  waist,  leav- 
ing his  breast  and  lower  limbs  perfectly  bare.  There  was 
no  paint  on  liis  body,  his  head  had  none  of  the  adorn- 


,  RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  243 

mcnts  of  the  warrior,  but  his  wire  tweezers  had  not  been 
idle,  for  his  beard  was  i)lucked  as  clean  as  usual.  Ilis 
complexion  was  that  of  very  light  olive,  in  some  Euro- 
pean countries  it  might  pass  for  white,  the  consequence 
of  long  confinement,  shut  out  from  the  summer  sun 
and  winter  wind.  The  countenance  had  nothing  in  it 
peculiar. 

The  game  was  plaj^ed,  and  lost  by  me.  It  was  played 
again  and  again,  and  still  the  same  result.  Although  I 
was  not  remarkably  expert,  yet  I  had  never  been  beaten 
quite  so  easily.  Thinking  I  had  done  enough  to  gratify 
3Ionsieur  le  Sauvage,  it  was  now  my  turn  to  be  amused.  I 
wished  to  know  something  of  his  story,  and  the  reason  of 
his  being  here,  but  after  a  variety  of  interrogations  I 
found  that  without  the  assistance  of  an  interpreter  I  was 
not  likely  to  make  much  progress.  The  Indian  directed 
me  to  a  half-breed,  who  acted  in  this  capacity,  and  having 
prevailed  upon  him  to  accompany  me,  I  returned  to  the 
charge.  On  the  way  to  the  prison  I  had  obtained  nearly 
all  the  information  that  could  be  expected.  The  Indian 
was  of  the  Mascontin  tribe,  now  nearly  extinct,  and  gen- 
erally living  among  the  Kickapoos:  he  had  married  a 
woman  of  that  tribe,  who  had  gone  off  with  another  In- 
dian and  left  him,  but  he  met  her  accidentally  in  the 
street  of  St.  Louis ;  she  fled — he  pursued,  overtook  her, 
and  in  his  fury  stabbed  her  to  the  heart.  He  was  imme- 
diately seized,  and  committed  by  the  magistrate  to  this 
prison.  In  the  mean  time  the  Indian  agent  had  given 
information  of  the  affair  to  the  government,  and  requested 
to  be  informed  whether  he  should  be  brought  to  trial. 
Eighteen  months  had  elapsed  before  it  was  determined  to 
turn  him  over  to  the  court  of  the  Territory  to  be  tried 
for  the  murder.  In  the  mean  time,  in  order  to  pass  away 
the  listless  hours,  he  amused  himself  with  the  game  of 


244  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

checkers,  and  by  dint  of  practice  had  acquired  such  skill 
in  it,  that  persons  came  on  purpose  to  play  with  him. 
When  he  saw  an}'"  one  passing  by  he  solicited  the  favor  of 
a  game,  and  thus  continued  to  lessen  a  little  the  tedium  of 
his  confinement.  The  time  for  his  trial  was  now  fast  ap- 
proaching, as  the  court  would  sit  in  a  week  or  two.  I 
informed  him  that  it  was  my  business  to  speak  in  favor  of 
people  in  his  situation,  when  brought  before  the  chiefs  at 
the  council  about  to  be  held  over  him,  and  wished  to  know 
whether  he  wished  me  to  speak  for  him.  He  nodded  his 
head,  with  a  smile,  and  said  he  was  thankful,  but  I  could 
see  there  was  but  little  faith  on  his  part  in  my  proffered 
services.  '^  Tell  the  chiefs,"  said  he,  "that  I  am  a  war- 
rior, and  wish  to  be  shot,  and  not  hung  like  a  dog."  It 
was  impossible  to  explain  to  him  the  nature  of  the  trial ; 
he  firmly  believed  that  it  was  already  determined  to  take 
his  life,  and  the  only  thing  left  was  as  to  the  mode.  I 
took  leave  of  him  with  assurances  that  I  would  do  my 
best  to  save  him,  and  that  probably  he  might  be  set  at 
liberty  without  being  either  shot  or  hung. 

The  case  afforded  me  an  opportunity  of  appearing  be- 
fore the  court,  and  of  introducing  myself  to  public  notice. 
It  presented  some  new  and  highly  interesting  topics,  and 
I  applied  myself  to  it  with  more  than  usual  zeal.  I  had 
the  curiosity  to  inquire  the  cause  of  his  particular  dislike 
to  be  hung  rather  than  shot.  He  said  that  the  breath,  or 
spirit,^  which  was  to  live  in  the  other  world,  not  being 
able  to  come  out  of  the  mouth,  the  windpipe  being  choked 
up,  would  be  obliged  to  make  its  escape  in  another  direc- 
tion, and  that  it  would  then  be  ashamed  to  appear  among 
other  spirits!  The  idea  may  remind  one  of  a  celebrated 
passage  in  IIudil)ras,  of  which  there  has  been  a  Latin 

*  Lat.  spiro — afflatus. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  245 

translation,  not  more  decent  than  the  original,  excepting 
to  those  who  do  not  understand  the  language. 

By  the  time  fixed  for  the  trial,  no  little  interest  had 
been  excited,  numbers  attended  from  a  distance,  and 
among  them  several  Indians.  The  chief  of  the  tribe  to 
which  the  murdered  woman  belonged  made  a  formal  de- 
mand of  the  prisoner,  in  order  that  the  lex  talionis  might 
be  executed  upon  him  in  their  own  way ;  and  the  poor 
creature,  still  impressed  with  the  belief  that  he  must  un- 
dergo the  ignominious  death  of  the  gallows,  seconded  the 
application.  It  was  in  vain, — as  it  was  alleged  that  the 
offended  laws  of  the  white  man  must  first  be  satisfied. 
No  one  seemed  to  entertain  a  doubt  of  his  conviction ; 
the  fact  of  killing  in  the  street  of  St.  Louis,  within  the 
presence  of  many  witnesses,  would  not  be  denied ;  the 
circumstances  were  such  as  to  make  it  murder  in  the  first 
degree,  in  any  other  responsible  creature.  I  gave  it  as 
my  opinion,  that  he  would  be  acquitted,  and  it  may  be 
mentioned  as  one  of  the  singular  inconsistencies  we  some- 
times meet  with,  that  the  same  persons  who  treated  my 
opinion  with  perfect  incredulity,  actually  expressed,  a 
few  hours  after  the  trial,  their  wonder  that  any  man 
should  think  of  putting  an  Indian  on  his  defense  !  No 
one  seemed  to  suspect,  or,  at  least,  was  willing  to  admit, 
that  the  acquittal  was  owing  to  the  original  yet  common 
sense  view  which  I  took  of  the  case,  although  when  first 
presented  by  me  it  was  treated  as  an  absurdity.  I  felt 
both  pleasure  and  mortification  at  the  result.  I  consoled 
myself  with  the  words  of  Samson,  "  If  ye  had  not 
plowed  with  my  heifer,  ye  had  not  found  out  my  rid- 
dle."— The  jury  did  not  even  leave  the  box;  yet  Indians 
have  been  tried  and  executed  under  similar  circumstances, 
before  and  since.  The  reader  I  hope  will  pardon  me  for 
any  little  display  of  vanity  on  this  occasion,  for  there  is  a 


246  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

positive  pleasure  in  doing  justice  to  one^s  self,  if  it  can  be 
done  without  offense  to  others.  The  course  of  reasoning  at 
that  time  was  new  and  original  with  me  ;  since  then,  it  has 
been  assumed  by  one  of  the  most  enlightened  and  impartial 
judicatures  in  the  world,  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States.  Lawj^ers,  as  well  as  others,  know  how  deeply 
gratifying  it  is  to  have  their  suggestions,  at  first  deemed 
speculative,  afterward  fully  sanctioned  by  the  enlight- 
ened, and  finally  become  the  common  opinion  of  mankind. 
I  will  here  place  before  the  indulgent  reader  a  sum- 
mary or  outline  of  the  speech  which  I  addressed  to  the 
court  and  jury.  It  will  be  brief,  for  it  is  free  from  all  the 
repetition,  and  leaves  out  all  references  or  quotations  and 
the  illustrations  which  were  used  in  the  deliver)^  There 
is  very  little  doubt  that  if  every  two  hours'  speech  were 
thus  reduced  to  its  quintessence,  the  uninitiated  would 
wonder  how  they  could  be  lengthened  out ;  in  the  words 
of  Churchill, 

"  The  sterling  bullion  of  one  English  line, 
Dr^wn  to  French  wire,  will  through  whole  pages  shine." 

THE  SPEECH. 

May  it  please  the  court.  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  we 
do  not  pretend  to  deny  that  the  unfortunate  human  being, 
now  on  his  trial  before  you,  has  been  guilty  of  the  wicked 
act  of  which  he  stands  charged,  although  under  the  influ- 
ence of  passions  which,  even  in  the  case  of  a  civilized  man, 
might  plead  some  mitigation  of  the  offense.  It  is  ad- 
mitted, however,  that  there  are  no  circumstances  in  the 
case  amounting  to  legal  justification  or  excuse.  If  one 
of  this  jury  were  placed  in  his  situation,  and  the  same 
facts  established  against  him  as  clearly  as  they  have  been 
against  the  prisoner,  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  a 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  247 

verdict  of  guilty  would  and  ought  to  be  given  against 
him. 

On  what  ground,  then,  are  you  called  upon  to  render  a 
verdict  of  acquittal  ?  Whence  can  his  counsel  derive  the 
slightest  hope  of  success  ?  Gentlemen,  we  are  perfectly 
satisfied  that  the  moment  you  take  this  case  under  serious 
consideration,  you  will  be  convinced  that  the  laws  of  the 
land  do  exempt  you  from  the  painful  responsibility,  in 
this  instance,  of  condemning  a  fellow-creature  to  suffer 
death — that  fellow-creature  a  poor  ignorant  savage,  the 
slave  of  his  passions,  infuriated  by  a  sense  of  the  deepest 
injury,  unrestrained  by  moral  or  religious  feelings,  and 
even  actuated  by  a  belief  that  he  had  the  lawful  power  of 
life  and  death  in  his  hands. 

Writers  hav^e  been  correctly  cited  to  prove  that  aliens 
are  subject  to  the  laws  of  the  country  in  which  they  hap- 
pen to  sojourn,  because  they  have  taken  upon  themselves 
a  temporary  allegiance.  Having  come  of  their  own  ac- 
cord, claiming  protection  while  they  remain,  they  may  be 
considered  as  tacitly  consenting  to  abide  by  our  laws. 
As  ignorance  of  these  is  not  to  be  admitted,  it  is  the  duty 
of  every  one  to  make  himself  acquainted  with  our  penal 
enactments.  The  idiot,  the  madman,  and  persons  under 
duress,  or  too  young  to  know  the  nature  of  crime,  are  the 
only  exceptions.  All  others  are  liable  to  the  penalties  of 
the  law,  whether  in  point  of  fact  the  laws  be  known  to 
them  or  not :  and  no  matter  how  low  thev  mav  stand 
in  the  scale  of  intellect.  But  this  arises  from  the  ar- 
tificial reasoning,  and  the  positive  enactments  of  the  law; 
the  legislator  may  establish  a  different  rule,  where  the 
reasons  and  the  circumstances  vary.  Unless  the  law  be 
modified  in  such  cases,  the  most  glaring  injustice  may  be 
perpetrated  in  the  name  of  justice.  We  contend,  gentle- 
men, that  the  case  of  the  prisoner  is  one  of  these ;  we 


248  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

contend  that  the  plainest  principles  of  justice  require  a 
peculiar  legislation  in  his  case,  and  we  will  show  that  this 
has  been  done. 

The  common  law  of  England  which  has  been  adopted 
in  this  Territory,  and  which  has  been  read  to  you  by  the 
counsel  for  the  prosecution,  speaks  of  the  different  classes 
of  persons  who  are  amenable  to  the  laws ;  these  are 
aliens,  denizens,  subjects  or  citizens.  So  far  as  the  law  is 
applicable,  it  must  govern  here  ;  but  we  have  other  classes 
of  persons,  not  known  or  distinctly  recognized  in  England; 
one  of  these  is  the  Indian. 

Is  the  Indian  an  alien  ?  It  cannot  be  contended  for  a 
moment  that  he  answers  the  description  of  an  alien  in  a 
single  particular.  He  is  a  native  of  the  soil ;  he  was  here 
when  we  first  set  our  foot  on  it — he  and  his  forefathers 
time  immemorial.  As  respects  him,  we  are  the  aliens.- 
By  no  stretch  of  fiction,  can  he  be  said  to  have  submitted 
to  a  temporary  allegiance ;  by  no  forced  presumption  can 
he  be  said  to  have  giv^en  a  tacit  assent  to  the  laws  we 
brought  with  us,  or  which  we  have  enacted  here.  On  the 
contrary,  ^we  are  the  strangers,  who  have  claimed  his 
hospitality,  and  a  share  of  his  soil,  and  according  to 
the  reasoning  by  which  we  claim  the  dominion  of  our 
laws  over  him,  his  laws  ought  to  rule  over  us. 

He  is  neither  a  citizen  nor  a  denizen.  By  our  acts  of 
Congress,  he  is  expressly  excluded  from  the  tax  list,  mi- 
litia roll,  from  the  census,  and  of  course  from  all  the  du- 
ties, as  well  as  privileges,  of  citizenship.  He  may  set  up 
his  wigwam  on  a  common  in  the  vicinity  of  a  town,  or 
he  may  establish  his  village  or  his  hunting  camps  in  the 
body  of  a  country,  without  any  more  notice  being  taken 
of  him  than  if  he  were  a  i\\\\v^  ferre  naturae.  So  long 
as  he  does  no  injury  to  the  white  nfan,  he  may  live  and 
die  in  his  own  way,  without  attracting  the  least  notice, 
or  incurring  the  slightest  responsil)ility. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  249 

There  are  several  Indian  villages  in  this  county ;  there 
are  many,  in  different  parts  of  the  United  States,  sur- 
rounded on  all  sides  by  settlements  of  white  people.  Has 
any  grand  jury  ever  thought  of  examining  and  inquiring 
into  their  doings  and  actings  in  those  villages  ?  Have  there 
been  no  murders,  no  acts  done  among  them  contrary  to 
the  laws  of  the  white  man,  and  which,  if  done  by  white 
men,  would  subject  them  to  prosecution?  Every  one 
must  know  that  the  Indians  have  their  penal  laws,  that 
among  each  other  they  inflict  the  punishment  of  death  for 
various  offenses,  some  of  them  imaginary.  It  is  not  long 
since,  in  one  of  the  villages  on  the  Maramec,  two  women 
were  put  to  death  by  the  order  of  an  Indian  council,  on 
the  charge  of  sorcery  !  Is  it  not  a  common  thing  for  them 
to  punish  with  death  those  who  have  been  guilty  of  mur- 
der ?  There  is  now  before  your  eyes  a  deputation  of  In- 
dians, with  a  distinguished  chief  at  their  head,  waiting  to 
seize  this  man,  in  order  to  bring  him  to  justice  according 
to  their  laws ! 

Our  penal  code,  gentlemen,  makes  no  difference  with 
respect  to  the  place  where  the  murder  has  been  com- 
mittted;  that  is  to  say,  whether  it  has  been  done  in  the 
populous  street  or  in  the  depth  of  the  forest ;  for,  in  either 
case,  if  we  take  jurisdiction  at  all,  it  is  because  the  offense 
has  been  committed,  in  legal  phrase,  within  the  body  of  a 
county;  and  it  does  not  vary  the  case  whether  the 
offense  has  been  committed  in  a  populous  or  thinly  in- 
habited district.  We  found  the  Indians  existing  in  socie- 
ties, in  their  tribes,  and  villages,  under  their  rude  but 
well-established  laws  and  usages ;  we  have  permitted 
them  to  remain  in  the  midst  of  us,  and  within  the  limits 
■  of  our  local  jurisdictions.  Never  until  now  have  they 
been  told  that  their  ^intercourse  with  each  other  must  be 
regulated  by  the  same  laws  that  the  white  men  have  es- 


o-> 


250  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

tablisbed  for  themselves,  and  with  which  the  poor  Indian 
has  no  possible  means  of  becoming  acquainted.  The  case 
of  the  foreigners  who  come  among  us  from  abroad, 
from  different  nations,  who  bring  no  law  with  them,  and 
who  have  no  distinct  organization  from  that  established 
by  the  laws  of  the  land,  is  entirely  unlike  that  of  the 
Indian. 

If  the  Indian  be  amenable  to  our  penal  laws  in  the  case 
of  murder,  is  he  not  on  the  same  principle  subject  to  the 
ichole  penal  code,  including  every  offense,  from  treason 
down  to  the  smallest  misdemeanor  ?  A  white  man  would 
be  liable  to  indictment  for  walking  the  street  in  a  state  of 
nudity,  thus  outraging  public  decency  ;  but  before  it  could 
be  an  offense  in  the  Indian,  he  must  be  furnished  with 
clothes,  and  be  persuaded  to  wear  them  !  The  Indian,  on 
the  same  principle,  would  be  liable  to  indictment  for 
bigamy,  for  assault  and  battery,  for  Sabbath-breaking,  for 
a  hundred  offenses,  the  bare  suggestion  of  which,  in  con- 
nection with  him,  carries  with  it  a  degree  of  absurdity. 

Is  the  Indian,  then,  when  he  comes  among  us,  perfectly 
lawless  and  perfectly  outlawed?  By  no  means.  The 
relation  in  which  he  stands  to  the  white  population  is 
clearly  defined  by  law.  If  an  Indian  commit  a  murder 
on  a  white  man,  his  tribe  is  rendered  responsible,  and  it  is 
required  to  surrender  him  to  us  ;  it  is  declared  that  in  this 
case,  the  accused  shall  have  the  same  trial  as  the  white 
man.  If  the  Indian  commit  a  theft  or  robbery,  his  tribe 
is  again  made  liable,  and  where  they  receive  an  annuity, 
it  is  deducted  from  the  amount;  but  this  is  all  that  is  re- 
quired ;  the  offender  is  not  demanded  to  be  surrendered, 
that  he  may  be  indicted  for  the  offense.  In  the  case  of 
murder,  blood  for  blood  is  required  in  accordance  with 
the  well-known  law  of  the  savage  himself,  with  this  differ- 
ence, that  it  is  on  the  principle  of  the  law  of  retaliation, 


RECOLLECTIOXS   OF   THE    WEST.  251 

and  if  the  real  offender  cannot  be  had,  an  innocent  person 
may  be  compelled  to  expiate  his  offense.  The  form  of 
trial  is  more  out  of  respect  to  our  own  institutions  than 
for  the  sake  of  the  culprit  who  cannot  comprehend  it — the 
substance  is  the  lex  talionis,  and  according  to  the  Indian's 
idea  of  justice,  the  offense  may  be  expiated  by  some  one 
who  can  be  better  spared  than  the  guilty.  For  the  injury 
done  to  the  Indian  by  the  white  man,  the  latter  is  liable  to 
punishment  on  a  different  principle. 

The  Indian,  in  short,  as  to  his  liability,  is  just  what  the 
laws  have  expressly  made  him,  and  no  more.  He  is  not 
an  alien,  a  citizen,  nor  a  denizen,  but  subject  to  a  peculiar 
legislation.  He  is  not  placed  on  a  footing  with  the  idiot, 
or  the  infant  who  is  not  yet  doli  capax,  for  in  the  case  of 
the  murder  of  a  white  man,  he  is  liable  to  punishment. 
He  is,  in  a  word,  just  what  the  law  has  thought  proper 
to  make  him  by  a  course  of  legislation  adapted  to  his 
case. 

And  was  this  impolitic  or  unjust  ?  We  found  him  liv- 
ing in  societies  under  his  own  rude  laws,  and  attached  to 
what  seems  to  us  his  barbarous  practices.  It  would  be 
more  easy  to  exterminate  him,  than  to  eradicate  his 
habits.  We  introduced  ourselves  and  laws  into  his 
country,  and  from  the  beginning  we  occupied  the  same 
land,  in  distinct  communities — rather,  they  were  obliged 
to  submit  to  our  living  thus  among  them.  Under  these 
circumstances,  to  expect  them  to  conform  to  our  laws 
would  have  been  doing  violence  to  every  sentiment  of 
justice  and  humanity,  as  well  as  contrary  to  sound  reason- 
ing. They  were  totally  deficient  on  the  very  ground- 
work of  our  social  order,  in  our  state  of  civilization,  ex- 
alted by  Christianity.  The  very  first  ideas  of  the  savage 
are  at  total  variance  with  everything  inculcated  in  our 
3'outhful  minds.     The  law,  therefore,  which  separates  the 


252  BRA  CKENRID  GE'S 

Indian  fi'om  other  classes  of  persons  is  not  without  sound 
reason  in  its  origin.  But  the  law  is  so — and  your  verdict 
must  be  rendered  in  conformity  to  law.  The  question  of 
guilty  or  not  guilty  does  not  depend  alone  on  the  proof  of 
particular  acts  done,  it  depends  upon  the  intentions  of  the 
doer,  and  upon  the  responsibility  imposed  by  law.  In 
acquitting  the  prisoner,  gentlemen  of  the  jury,  you  do 
not  pronounce  him  innocent — you  simply  declare  that  the 
punishment  of  his  offense,  and  the  responsibility  of  that 
punishment,  do  not  devolve  on  you.  He  will  not  escape 
the  punishment  due  to  his  crime.  He  will  find  it  in  the 
mode  most  consonant  to  his  ideas  of  justice,  and  from  the 
hands  of  those  whom  he  thinks  have  the  best  right  to  in- 
flict it.  Those  persons  would  conceive  themselves  deeply 
aggrieved  by  being  deprived  of  the  right  to  Avork  out  the 
crime  of  the  prisoner,  and  appease  the  troubled  spirit  of 
the  deceased,  in  offering  up  the  sacrifice  with  their  own 
hands,  and  in  their  own  way. 

Yerdict — Not  Guilty. 

The  Indian  was  remanded  to  prison  for  a  few  days,  as 
a  place  of  safety  from  the  vengeance  of  his  people.  He 
was  afterward  liberated,  but  what  became  of  him  I 
know  not. 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  253 


CHAPTER   XXYIL 

The  Autlior  adopts  a  Literary  Freedom — Western  Antiquities 
— Singular  Coincidence  of  certain  Passages  of  Different  Au- 
thors. 

After  the  triail  of  the  Indian  culprit  recounted  in  the 
last  chapter,  I  determined  to  hang  up  my  forensic  arms 
and  armor  during  the  remainder  of  my  sojourn  in  !Mis- 
souri,  and  devote  my  time  to  literary  occupations.  Tiie 
series  of  numbers  published  in  the  newspaper  of  St.  Louis 
had  attracted  attention  abroad,  insomuch  that  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son, in  a  manner  very  flattering  tome,  had  requested  that 
the  whole  already  published,  and  to  be  published,  should 
be  transmitted  to  him.  The  wonderful  mineral  wealth  of 
this  region,  not  merely  in  lead  ore,  but  in  iron  and  in 
others,  embraced  under  this  head,  I  may  almost  say  was 
first  made  known  by  me.  I  had  met  with  an  intelligent 
hunter  who  gave  me  a  surprising  account  of  the  country 
near  the  sources  of  the  Maramec,  the  Osage,  and  White 
Rivers,  the  latter  emptying  into  the  Arkansas.  These 
essays  were  afterward  collected  in  a  volume,  with  the 
title  of  "Views  of  Louisiana,"  thus  aspiring  to  the  am- 
bitious distinction  of  authorship.  I  may  perhaps  be  par- 
doned for  saying  that  this  youthful  production  was  favor- 
ably mentioned  both  ])y  the  London  Quarterly  and  the 
Edinburgh  Review,  and  that  an  extract  from  it  in  one  of 
them,  relating  to  Colonel  Boon  and  his  companions  settled 
around  him  in  the  Missouri  wilderness,  gave  the  hint  to  a 
beautiful  passage  in  the  Don  Juan  of  Lord  I5yron.  Wiiut- 
ever  deficiencies  I  might  have  felt  in  other  respects,  I  was 

22* 


254  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

at  least  not  wanting  in  industry,  and  I  had  the  satisfac- 
tion to  find  that  my  occupations  did  not  bring  me  into 
angry  collision  with  an}^  one. 

Nothing  interested  me  so  much  as  the  remains  of  an- 
tiquity, the  evidences  of  a  more  numerous  and  more  civil- 
ized people  throughout  the  great  valley  of  the  Mississippi. 
Besides  the  chapter  on  this  subject,  I  made  a  special  com- 
munication to  Mr.  Jefferson,  who,  as  President  of  the 
American  Philosophical  Society,  transmitted  it  to  that 
enlightened  body,  who  published  it  among  their  transac- 
tions. This  probably  led  to  my  being  chosen  a  member  of 
the  Antiquarian  Society  of  Boston,  and  of  a  similar  Society 
at  Copenhagen,  in  Denmark.  About  this  time  I  met  with 
two  very  interesting  men,  Nuttall  and  Bradbury,  botanists 
and  naturalists,  and  very  enthusiastic  in  their  pursuits  ; 
and  I  will  here  remark,  that  enthusiasm  is  the  natural 
stimulant  to  action,  where  men  are  not  actuated  by  mere 
sordid  interest  or  desire  of  gain.  Mr.  Bradbury  was  some- 
what advanced  in  life,  while  his  companion  was  about  my 
age,  and  he  has  since  become  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
in  his  line  in  the  world. 

I  examined  with  great  care  the  mounds  near  St.  Louis, 
and  hearing  of  others  of  a  more  remarkable  character  on 
the  eastern  side  of  the  river,  in  what  is  now  the  State  of 
Illinois,  I  took  my  rifle  and  crossed  over  intending  to  pass 
a  day  or  two  among  them,  and  was  highly  delighted  with 
what  I  saw.  They  were  situated  in  a  vast  alluvial  plain 
about  six  miles  in  width,  stretching  to  the  river  hills,  and 
the  first  were  about  two  miles  from  the  Mississippi,  and 
then  continued  at  intervals  in  a  diagonal  direction,  until 
I  reached  the  principal  mound  and  group  near  the  margin 
of  a  narrow  but  deep  stream,  which  traverses  the  im- 
mense body  of  fertile  land  usually  called  the  American 
bottom,  and   not  less  than  eighty  or  a  hundred  miles  in 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  255 

length.  I  was  seized  with  astonishment  as  I  ascended 
the  large  mound,  and  then  stepped  around  its  base,  not 
surpassed  in  magnitude  by  the  pyramid  of  Cholula  in 
Mexico,  or  those  other  wonders  in  Egypt !  The  whole 
plain  was  marked  by  spots  on  its  surface,  which  had  for- 
merly been  occupied  by  dwellings,  whose  perishable  ma- 
terials had  crumbled  down,  leaving  nothing  but  small 
elevations  of  incumbent  mould.  Many  of  the  ancient 
cities  of  Asia  and  Africa  do  not  exhibit  any  vestiges 
more  conspicuous  ;  even  the  site  of  Troy  is  only  distin- 
guishable at  this  day  by  the  two  little  mounds  supposed 
to  be  the  tombs  of  Achilles  and  Patroclus.  In  imagina- 
tion I  peopled  this  now  silent  plain  with  the  numerous 
human  beings  who  once  animated  it,  busily  engaged  in 
the  occupations  of  peace,  or  more  deeply  agitated  by 
the  thrilling  incidents  of  pestilence  and  war.  In  my  book, 
which  may  now  be  found  in  some  public  library,  there 
will  be  seen  a  full  account  of  these  mounds ;  and  in  the 
mean  time  hath  not  my  friend  Caleb  At  water,  in  his 
curious  and  interesting  volume  on  these  antiquities,  made 
honorable  mention  of  me,  of  my  theories  on  this  subject, 
and  descriptions  of  those  which  came  under  my  personal 
observations  ?  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  Bishop  Madison  of 
Virginia,  were  among  the  first  to  notice  the  western  an- 
tiquities, and  afterward  a  Mr.  Harris,  in  his  journal,  gave 
a  particular  account  of  those  at  Marietta. 

At  the  time  of  my  first  visit,  there  was  no  one  living 
within  many  miles  of  the  place,  but  on  a  second  visit,  the 
year  following,  I  found  a  colony  of  the  monks  of  La 
Trappe  established  in  the  midst  of  them,  their  dwellings 
occupying  a  smaller  mound,  a  hundred  yards  west  of  the 
great  mound  of  Cohokia.  As  it  was  now  late  in  Novem- 
ber, and  of  course  too  cold  to  pass  the  night  in  the  open 
air,  I  was  about  to  strike  fire,  when  I  observed  a  smoke 


256  '      BRACKENRIDOE'S 

toward  the  bluffs  near  some  ponds:  I  made  mj  way 
thither,  and  found  a  young  Canadian  Frenchman,  who 
had  come  here  for  the  purpose  of  shooting  wild  fowl,  which 
at  this  season  frequent  these  places  in  great  numbers. 
His  design  was  to  remain  here  until  daylight,  when  the 
wild  ducks,  brandt,  geese,  and  swans  begin  to  fly  from 
one  pond  to  another,  over  the  place  he  had  chosen,  thus 
affording  him  an  opportunity  of  shooting  them  on  the 
wing.  We  soon  established  a  cronyship,  shared  our 
scanty  meal,  and  endeavored  to  keep  awake,  for  it  was  so 
cold  that  one  side  was  freezing  while  the  other  was  burn- 
ing, so  that  we  needed  continual  turning  like  the  ducks 
themselves  when  placed  on  the  spit.  The  next  day,  after 
spending  the  greater  part  of  it  in  pursuing  my  examina- 
tion, and  picking  up  some  curious  Indian  utensils,  re- 
crossed  the  river  to  St.  Louis. 

Meanwhile  I  rented  no  office,  or  rather  stall,  where  my 
hands  and  feet  might  find  that  kind  of  repose  which  is  en- 
joyed by  those  who  are  placed  in  the  stocks.  My  limbs 
and  my  fancy  were  alike  as  free  as  the  commoners  of  air. 
I  was  a  gentleman  at  large  chained  to  no  particular  occu- 
pation, yet  no  idler.  Of  a  restless  and  mercurial  nature, 
it  was  impossible  for  me  to  remain  inactive,  although 
there  was  more  of  the  dulce  than  XhQ  utile  in  my  pursuits. 
The  abundant  leisure  on  my  hands  was  not  dissipated  in 
the  pleasures  of  society ;  neither  cards,  wine,  nor  any  of 
the  common  amusements  of  young  men  had  the  least  at- 
traction, and  as  I  was  no  groat  sleeper,  nearly  the  whole 
twenty-four  hours  were  at  my  disposal.  Reading,  writ- 
ing, wandering,  and  solitary  declamation  constituted  my 
chief  employment,  and  I  have  often  thought  how  much 
time  a  young  man  may  have  for  all  these,  who  engages 
in  no  frivolous  amusements,  who  })asses  but  a  few  hours 
in  bed,  and  who  never  stops  to  lounge  at  an  idler's  cor- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  257 

nor.  Books  of  travel  at  this  time  formed  my  principal 
reading-,  and  I  soon  devoured  everything  of  the  kind  I 
eouhl  lay  my  hand  on,  or  ferret  out  in  St.  Louis.  When 
a  man  sets  his  whole  heart  and  soul  upon  the  accom- 
plishment of  any  object,  he  will  either  find  or  create  the 
means.  Even  the  drunkard  may  afford  us  a  lesson  on 
this  head ;  for  what  toper,  however  penniless  or  despica- 
ble, ever  failed  to  obtain  by  hook  or  by  crook  his  dearly 
loved  inebriating  glass? 

I  will  conclude  this  rambling  chapter,  or  chapter  of 
rambling,  with  some  remarks  on  the  subject  of  plagiarism, 
which  have  suggested  themselves  in  consequence  of  a  pas- 
sage in  my  chapter  on  American  antiquities  in  the  "Views 
of  Louisiana. "  A  writer  has  attempted,  in  a  small  volume, 
to  convict  Sterne,  whose  reputation  as  an  Original  is  as 
high  as  that  of  any  English  author,  of  this  dishonorable 
practice.  The  proof  of  his  depredations  on  Burton's  Anat- 
omy of  Melancholy  are  certainly  very  strong,  and  per- 
haps one  of  the  strongest  is  that  which  relates  to  the 
melancholy  disappearance  of  some  of  the  most  flourishing 
cities  of  ancient  times.  Mathew  Carey  has  defended 
Sterne,  and  if  not  to  the  perfect  satisfaction  of  the  reader, 
he  has  at  least  given  sufficient  reason  against  taking  the 
mere  resemblance  of  certain  passages  as  conclusive  evi- 
dence. Why  may  not  the  same  objects  strike  different 
persons  in  the  same  manner  ?  and  if  so,  is  it  to  be  won- 
dered that  in  describing  their  respective  impressions  in 
the  same  tongue,  that  there  should  be  a  resemblance,  and 
even  identity  in  their  language  ?  I  can  safely  say  that 
I  had  not  read  the  passage  in  Tristram  Shandy,  which 
book  was  never  a  favorite  of  mine,  at  the  time  I  wrote  my 
chapter,  nor  had  I  the  slightest  recollection  of  the  pas- 
sage in  Washington  Irving's  Salmagundi,  if  I  had  ever 
read  it  at  all ;   yet  the  charge  of  plagiarism  might  be 


258  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

broug-ht  home  to  us,  as  well  as  to  Sterne,  and  perhaps  in 

many  others  who,  looking  at  nature,  may  have  written 

on  the  same  subject. 

The  following  is  the  passage  in  Sterne  : 

"Kingdoms,  and  provinces,  and  towns,  and  cities,  have 

they  not  their  periods  ?     Where  is  Troy,  and  Mycene,  and 

Thebes,   and  Delos,  and   Persepolis,  and   Agrigentum  ? 

What  is  become,  brother  Toby,  of  Xineveh  and  Babylon, 

of  Cyzicum  and  Mytelene  ?  the  fairest  towns  that  ever 

the  sun  rose  upon,  are  now  no  more." 

The  supposed  original  in  Burton  runs  thus : 

"  Kingdoms,  provinces,   cities,  and  towns  have  their 

periods,  and  are  cansumed.  In  those  flourishing  times 
of  Troy,  Mycene  was  the  fairest  city  of  Greece  —  but 

it,  alas !  and  that  of  Assyrian  Nineveh,  are  overthrown. 
The  like  fate  hath  that  Egyptian  and  Boeotian  Thebes, 
Delos,  the  common  Council  house  of  Greece,  and  Babylon 
the  greatest  city  the  sun  ever  shone  on,  hath  now  nothing 
but  walls  and  rubbish  left.  And  where  is  Troy  itself 
now,  Persepolis,  Carthage,  Cyzicum,  Sparta,  Argos,  and 
all  those  Grecian  cities  ?  Syracuse  and  Agrigentum,  the 
fairest  towns  of  Sicily,  which  had  sometimes  seven  hun- 
dred thousand  inhabitants,  are  now  decayed." 

AVashington  Irving  uses  the  following  beautiful  lan- 
guage : 

"Alas!  how  futile  are  all  human  efforts  to  evade  the 
obliterating  hand  of  time  !  As  I  traversed  the  dreary 
wates  of  Egypt,  on  my  journey  to  Grand  Cairo,  I  stopped 
my  camel  for  awhile,  and  contemplated  in  awful  admira- 
tion the  stupendous  pyramids.  An  appalling  silence  pre- 
vailed around,  such  as  reigns  in  the  wilderness  when  the 
tempest  is  hushed,  and  the  beasts  of  prey  have  retired 
to  their  dens.  The  myriads  that  had  once  been  em- 
ployed in  rearing  those  lofty  mementoes  of  human  vanity, 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  259 

whoso  busy  hum  once  enlivened  tlie  solitude  of  the  desert, 
had  all  been  swept  from  the  earth,  by  the  irresistible  arm 
of  death.  All  were  mingled  with  their  native  dust.  All 
were  forgotten.  Even  the  mighty  name  which  these 
sepulchers  were  designed  to  perpetuate  had  long  since 
faded^  from  remembrance.  History  and  tradition  afford 
but  vague  conjectures,  and  the  pyramids  only  impart  a 
humiliating  lesson  to  the  candidate  for  immortality." 

I  will  now  give  my  own  words,  without  pretending  to 
place  them  in  competition  with  the  foregoing  illustrious 
writers,  but  merely  to  exhibit  the  striking  similarity  in 
some  of  the  ideas  : 

"But  the  human  race  has  everywhere  experienced  ter- 
rible revolutions.  Pestilence,  war,  and  the  convulsions 
of  the  globe  have  annihilated  the  proudest  works,  and 
rendered  vain  the  noblest  efforts  of  man.  Ask  not  the 
sage,  by  whom,  and  when,  were  erected  the  originals  of 
those  lingering  ruins,  'the  frail  memorials'  of  ages  which 
have  long  since  been  swallowed  up  in  the  ocean  of  Time. 
Ask  not  the  wild  Arab,  where  may  be  found  the  owner 
of  the  superb  palace,  within  whose  broken  walls  he  casts 
his  tent.  Ask  not  the  lisherman  as  he  spreads  his  nets, 
or  the  plowman  who  whistles  over  the  ground,  where 
is  Tyre,  where  is  Troy,  of  whose  splendor  historians  and 
poets  have  so  much  boasted.  Alas !  they  have  vanished 
from  the  things  that  be,  and  have  left  only  the  melancholy 
Ic.-^son  of  the  instability  of  the  most  stupendous  labors, 
and  of  the  vanity  of  immortality  on  earth." 


260  BRACKENRIDGE'S 


CHAPTER    XXYIII. 

Bad  Consequences  of  Good  Society — A  Constructive  Quarpel  and 
Fatal  Duel  between  two  Friends. 

I  HAVE  said  that  I  took  iio  office,  having  determined  to 
go  farther  south  before  entering  in  earnest  on  the  labors 
of  my  profession  ;  yet  some  portion  of  m}^  time  was  daily 
passed  in  the  office  of  my  friend  Graham,  who  was  well 
satisfied  with  his  present  situation.  Having  more  expe- 
rience in  the  law,  although  some  years  younger,  my  as- 
sistance was  useful  to  him  in  preparing  his  cases  and  in 
hunting  up  applicable  authorities.  He  was  peculiarly 
well  adapted  to  the  routine  of  office  business,  and  would 
have  been  successful,  although  he  did  not  aspire  to  any 
high  degree  of  eminence,  much  less  to  the  palm  of  elo- 
quence. He  inherited  from  his  father,  a  revolutionary 
officer,  an  exalted  sense  of  honor,  with  not  a  little  of  mil- 
itary instinct,  which  rendered  him  less  averse  than  I  was 
to  duels  and  personal  rencounters.  These  would  have 
formed  no  obstacles  in  his  way.  His  person  was  fine, 
and  his  taste  for  dress  and  fashion  was  great,  while  he 
had  no  relish  whatever  for  mere  literary  abstractions  or 
enthusiasm,  for  he  actually  refused  to  accompany  me  to 
visit  the  great  mound  at  Cohokia,  although  I  had  just  be. 
fore  ridden  with  liim  to  the  cantonment  of  a  regiment  at 
Bellefontaine  on  the  Missouri,  where  there  was  nothing  but 
the  great  river  itself  worth  seeing;  for  the  mere  parade  of 
a  few  soldiers,  and  the  music  even  of  a  good  band,  were  no 
objects  of  curiosity  to  me.  My  friend  sought  that  kind  of 
society  which  I  avoided,  often  passing  his  evenings  with 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  TUE    WEST.  261 

the  young  officers  of  the  army,  and  others,  who  killed 
time  with  a  social  game  of  cards, — not  to  the  extent  of 
gaming,  yet  far  enough  to  disqualify  a  young  lawyer  for 
the  business  of  the  day  by  sitting  up  too  late  at  night,  not 
to  speak  of  the  demoralizing  tendency.  But  these  were  not 
the  worst  consequences  of  such  habits,  as  will  appear 
from  the  unhappy  occurrence  I  am  about  to  relate.  It 
would  have  been  well  for  my  poor  friend  if  he  had  had  as 
little  relish  for  good  society  as  I  had. 

One  evening,  looking  on  as  an  unconcerned  spectator 
while  a  party  was  playing  a  game  of  cards,  Graham  saw  one 
of  those  engaged  commit  an  act  deemed  highly  dishonor- 
able among  players,  and  following  only  the  momentary 
impulse  of  correct  feeling  instead  of  consulting  the  pru- 
dential advice  of  La  Rochefoucauld,  si  favais  la  main 
pleine  de  verites,  je  rrt'en  garderais  bien  de  Vouvrir — 
which  may  sometimes  render  prudence  the  accomplice  of 
guilt — he  at  once  proclaimed  the  disgraceful  act,  regard- 
less of  consequences.  The  party  was  immediately  broken 
up,  and  the  person  thus  implicated,  who  was  a  lieutenant 
in  the  anny,  a  man  of  honor  by  profession,  gave  notice 
that  for  this  insult  he  should  demand  the  satisfaction  due 
to  him  as  a  gentleman.  The  officer  was  of  that  caste  of 
persons  not  often  nowadavs  met  with  in  tlie  armv,  since 
the  military  school  at  West  Point  has  furnished  it  with 
young  men  trained  to  nobler  feelings ;  at  the  same  time, 
I  do  not  mean  to  say  that  some  of  our  best  officers,  both 
of  the  army  and  navy,  have  not  been  taken  at  once  from 
among  the  citizens  ;  I  merely  make  it  as  a  general  remark 
that  the  character  of  our  officers  has  been  raised  by  the 
pains  taken  with  our  cadets  and  midshipmen. 

The  next  morning  the  challenge  came,  and  it  was  borne 
by  the  individual,  a  physician,  with  whom  Graham  had 

23 


2G2  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

been  more  intimate  than  with  any  other  in  the  town.  This 
gentleman  and  the  officer  had  married  the  daughters  of 
the  same  person,  a  respectable  citizen  of  St.  Louis ;  he 
considered  himself  thus  imperatively  called  upon  to  act 
as  the  friend  of  his  brother-in-law.  The  challenge  was  at 
once  refused,  on  the  ground  that  the  challenged  party 
could  not  place  himself  on  a  footing  with  one  whom  he 
had  denounced  as  a  cheat  and  a  swindler.  On  this,  the 
second  declared  that  the  consequence  was  that  he  must 
stand  in  the  place  of  his  friend — that  the  insult  was,  by 
a  necessary  inference,  transferred  to  him,  for  if  his  friend 
was  unworthy  the  notice  of  a  gentleman,  he  must  be  no 
better  for  taking  up  the  cause  of  such  a  person.  Graham 
assured  him  that  he  had  every  possible  respect  for  him, 
and  disclaimed  all  intention  to  call  in  question  his  stand- 
ing as  a  gentleman.  But  the  other  insisted  that,  accord- 
ing to  the  laws  of  honor,  and  according  to  correct  rea- 
soning, the  refusal  of  the  challenge  on  the  ground  that 
the  principal  was  not  a  gentleman  was  an  insult  to  the 
second.  The  difficulty  of  the  case  appeared  to  both  insur- 
mountable, and  they  separated  with  mutual  expressions  of 
unabated  esteem,  notwithstanding  the  unpleasant  position 
which  they  were  now  forced  to  occupy.  This  kind  of 
reasoning  was  not  altogether  new  to  me  ;  the  duel  related 
in  another  part  of  this  volume,  of  which  Tarleton  Bates 
was  the  victim,  turned  on  a  similar  point  of  honor. 

The  colonel  of  the  regiment  happening  to  be  in  town, 
was  applied  to  by  Graham,  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  the 
delicate  and  responsible  office  was,  without  hesitation,  ac- 
cepted. The  colonel  was  a  man  of  tried  courage,  and 
possessed  of  the  ]U'udence  and  experience  of  mature  years, 
qualities  deemed  very  important  in  a  second  to  a  duel. 
There  was  no  possiljility  of  an  accommodation.  Nothing 
short  of  an  acknowledgment  that  the  officer  accused  of 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  263 

bein<i:  a  cheat,  was  a  geiitlenian,  could  lie  received;  and 
this  Graham  could  not  give  without  acknowledging  him- 
self a  slanderer.  The  challenger  could  not  yield,  because 
in  doing  so  he  would  acknowledge  himself  to  be  no  gen- 
tleman, by  carrying  a  challenge  for  a  blackguard.  In  or- 
dinary cases  the  principal  may,  after  the  first  fire,  ac- 
knowledge himself  satisfied  for  the  supposed  insult,  but 
in  this  case  nothing  short  of  the  surrender  of  the  point  in 
dispute  could  arrest  the  progress  of  the  duel  ;  so  that  it 
necessarily  must  be  a  combat  jusqiCd,  la  mort,  or  until 
one  of  the  parties  be  disabled,  and  even  then  to  be  re- 
newed as  soon  as  that  party  should  be  able  again  to  take 
the  field. 

All  the  preliminaries  of  this  deadly  duel  between  two 
friends,  on  a  constructive  insult,  under  the  laws  of  honor, 
were  now  arranged,  and  the  time  fixed  for  the  meeting 
three  days  ahead.  Ifi  the  mean  time,  all  possible  dili- 
gence was  used  by  the  colonel  and  his  principal  in  pro- 
viding the  best  pistols  for  the  occasion ;  and,  in  order  to 
place  them  in  the  most  perfect  condition,  they  went  in 
search  of  a  celebrated  gunsmith,  who  lived  in  an  obscure 
place  in  Illinois,  almost  in  a  secluded  hermitage,  a  creat- 
ure of  whim  and  singularity,  of  the  name  of  Cramar, 
famous  for  his  gunlocks,  and  originally  from  Lancaster, 
Pa.  I  have  known  a  pair  of  his  pistols,  perfectly  plain, 
sell  for  two  hundred  dollars,  and  a  rifle  for  one  hundred 
and  fifty,  on  account  of  the  su})}josed  superiority  of  his 
workmanship.  Afterward  they  retired  to  a  ravine  to 
practice;  but  in  none  of  these  excursions  did  I  accom- 
pany them.  All  I  can  say  is  that  the  colonel  proclaimed 
Graham  one  of  the  best  shots  he  had  ever  known,  which 
I  did  not  doubt,  for  I  knew  him  to  be  well  skilled  in  the 
use  of  almo.st  every  kind  of  weapon  ;  at  the  same  tinje,  I 
placed  more  confidence  in  coolness  and  firmness  of  nerve 


264  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

in  real  danger  than  the  mere  correctness  of  the  eye  when 
aiming  at  a  dead  mark. 

The  fatal  morning  having  arrived,  the  whole  party  pro- 
ceeded, after  daylight,  in  the  same  boat,  across  the  river  to 
Illinois,  Excepting  a  surgeon,  no  one  accompanied  them. 
I  was  the  only  person  who  attended  them  to  the  boat, 
where  I  shook  hands  with  Graham  with  all  the  earnest 
and  anxious  feelings  which  can  be  better  conceived  than 
described.  I  remained  for  an  hour  and  a  half,  waiting  the 
result,  and  felt  that  sickness  of  the  heart  occasioned  by  the 
dread  of  some  deep  calamity,  rendered  more  intense  by 
glimpses  of  hope.  I  listened  in  vain  to  hear  the  reports  of 
the  pistols,  the  river  being  too  wide  for  this  purpose.  At 
length  the  boat  appeared,  and  my  heart  beat  audibly  as 
she  came  near  enough  to  enable  me  to  distinguish  per- 
sons. I  was  in  a  short  time  enabled  to  count  the  whole 
party,  seated  on  their  benches ;  there  might  be  wounds, 
but  there  was  no  one  actually  dead.  I  ran  to  the  boat, 
and  helped  my  friend  Graham  out ;  I  saw  him  pale  and 
bloody,  but  he  set  his  foot  on  the  ground  with  a  firm  step. 
I  soon  found,  however,  that  he  required  the  aid  of  the 
colonel,  as  well  as  mine,  to  enable  him  to  reach  his  lodg- 
ing. He  was  undressed  and  placed  on  his  bed,  while  the 
surgeon  examined  his  wounds.  At  the  first  fire  he  had 
received  the  ball  of  his  antagonist  in  his  side,  passing 
round  the  back  bone,  and  lodging  in  the  flesh  beyond,  and 
when  extracted  the  wound  measured  nine  inches  in  length. 
The  other  party,  at  the  same  time,  had  received  a  slight 
flesh  wound  in  the  hip ;  but,  after  this  wound,  Graham's 
nervous  system  must  have  been  so  much  affected  as  to 
prevent  him  from  firing  with  any  certain  aim.  The  next 
fire  the  ball  passed  through  the  calves  of  both  his  legs, 
and  at  the  third  his  hand  was  so  severely  lacerated  that 
he  could  no  longer  hold  the  pistol.     In  the  mean  time,  he 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  TUE    WEST.  265 

said  nothing-  of  his  other  wounds,  and  they  were  only- 
discovered  by  the  loss  of  blood,  ami  after  he  was  disa- 
bled. The  seconds  now  decided  that  the  combat  should 
cease  for  the  present,  to  be  renewed  again  whenever 
Graham  should  be  in  a  condition  to  do  so.  After  the 
wounds  were  dressed,  the  surgeon  directed  that  he  should 
be  left  alone,  that  he  might  take  some  repose.  The  col- 
onel related  to  me  the  particulars  of  the  combat,  and 
spoke  in  raptures  of  the  perfect  coolness  and  firmness  of 
my  unfortunate  friend. 

The  next  day  the  other  party  to  the  duel  called  to  see 
the  person  who  had  thus  suffered  by  his  hand,  and  offered 
his  services  to  attend  him,  which  were  accepted  ;  and 
during  the  whole  of  his  attendance  he  manifested  as  much 
tenderness  and  solicitude  as  if  he  had  been  a  brother. 
These  may  be  regarded  as  curious  contradictions,  but 
human  life  is  made  up  of  strange  compounds  of  motives 
and  actions.  Graham  was  confined  four  months  to  his 
room.  The  wound  in  his  back  first  healed,  and  then 
opened  afresh,  while  he  gradually  sunk,  and  there  is  little 
doubt  that  the  spine  was  injured.  Toward  the  spring  he 
attempted  to  return  to  his  native  place  on  horseback,  but 
only  succeeded  in  going  one  hundred  miles,  when  he  was 
found  dead  in  his  bed  in  the  morning.  I  shall  not  attempt 
to  moralize  on  the  foregoing;  I  dislike  commonplace, 
and  I  should  probably  not  be  able  to  say  anything  that 
would  not  suggest  itself  to  the  reflecting  mind  on  reading 
this  unadorned  narrative  of  facts. 

I  cannot  but  remark,  however,  that  all  this  false  honor, 
this  barbarous  and  irrational  morality,  was  in  obedience 
to  the  public  opinion  of  the  place,  public  opinion  possess- 
ing little  or  no  influence  in  assigning  to  individuals  their 
proper  stations  in  society  according  to  merit  or  demerit, 
or  frowning  down   conduct  really  disreputable  and  im- 

23* 
\ 


266  ^^^  CKENRID  GE'S 

moral,  yet  so  powerful  in  what  related  to  the  exhibition 
of  mere  animal  coinage.  Nothing  could  more  strongly 
prove  the  savage  state  of  society.  It  was  exactly  that 
degree  of  the  point  of  honor  which  I  have  witnessed 
among  the  Indian  tribes,  where  a  warrior  will  voluntarily 
travel  a  thousand  miles,  at  the  requisition  of  his  chiefs,  to 
surrender  himself  to  death,  under  penalty  of  being  de- 
graded from  his  station  as  a  brave  man ;  and  I  have  seen 
the  willing  victim,  vrhile  singing  his  death-song,  take  his 
measure  in  the  newly-dug  grave,  surrounded  apparently 
by  his  friends,  who,  after  manifesting  the  greatest  regard 
for  him,  have  dealt  the  fatal  blow  on  the  spot  pointed  out 
by  himself.  As  Mr.  Clay  justly  said,  on  a  late  occasion, 
"  It  is  public  opinion  which  is  wrong  ;  it  is  public  opinion 
which  restrains  a  man,  in  certain  sections  of  the  Union, 
from  resorting  to  this  mode  of  resenting  insults  and  inju- 
ries ;  and  it  is  the  same  public  opinion  which,  in  other 
sections  of  the  country,  exacts  from  individuals  a  resort 
to  this  practice,  in  order  to  settle  their  disputes.  In  these 
latter  sections  of  the  country  the  only  alternative  offered 
to  a  man  who  had  been  injured  or  insulted  is  whether  he 
will  live  in  ignominy  and  disgrace,  or  expose  himself  to 
the  loss  of  life  in  personal  rencounters  ;  and  under  this 
alternative  there  are  but  too  few  that  feel  able  to  refuse 
that  expense  of  human  life." 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  20 1 


CHAPTEll    XXIX. 

Departure  from  St.  Louis — That  Place  revisited  after  au  Interval 
of  Ten  Years — Sliewe — Melanthy. 

The  time  had  arrived  for  my  departure  from  St.  Louis, 
and  my  destiny  called  me  to  Lower  Louisiana.  I  had 
been  furnished  with  many  and  warm  letters  from  the  old 
inhabitants  to  their  friends  on  the  Lower  Mississippi, 
which,  in  due  time,  rendered  me  good  service.  My  pas- 
sage was  taken  on  what  was  called  a  ''  keelboat;"  steam- 
ers were  then  unknown  on  the  "  Father  of  Waters." 
Shewe  accompanied  me  to  the  river  with  a  basket  of 
apples  from  his  little  huckster-shop  ;  but  the  poor  fellow, 
in  his  haste,  stumbled  and  fell  on  the  gravelly  beach,  cut- 
ting his  face,  and  scattering  his  farewell  present.  As  he 
ro.se  he  presented  a  ludicrous  yet  touching  appearance, 
when  I  bade  him  a  sorrowful  farewell,  his  visage  be- 
grimed with  tears,  blood,  and  dirt.  I  had  other  friends, 
but  none  more  sincere  and  true  than  this  kind-hearted, 
inoffensive  old  man. 

A  decade,  that  is  to  say  a  period  of  ten  years,  the 
most  eventful  of  my  life,  had  pas.sed  away,  from  the  year 
1811  to  1821,  and  I  am  again  in  St.  Louis,  not  determ- 
ined whether  to  remain  or  take  advantage  of  the  new 
opening  afforded  by  the  acquisition  of  Florida,  or  return 
to  New  Orleans,  where  I  had  met  with  brilliant  success, 
and  which  place,  perhaps,  I  should  never  have  left.  Those 
ten  years  with  their  connected  series  of  incidents  will  be 
left  blank  l)y  me ;  for  the  repetition  of  so  much  egotism 


2G8  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

will  hardly  be  tolerated;  although,  possibly,  of  much 
greater  importance  than  the  boyish  freaks  related  in  the 
foregoing  chapters.  If  the  life  of  Dr.  Johnson,  by  Bos- 
well,  had  been  written  in  the  first  person  instead  of  the 
third,  it  would  not  have  been  pronounced  one  of  the 
greatest  books  that  ever  issued  from  the  press.  Short 
autobiographies  of  Hume,  Franklin,  Gibbon,  sketching 
only  the  earliest  portion  of  their  lives,  are  not  only  tol- 
erated but  read  with  unceasing  interest,  while  the  tedious 
egotisms  of  Rousseau,  Marmontel,  and  Cumberland  are 
thrown  aside  in  disgust.  Perhaps  in  our  own  eyes  the 
incidents  of  our  lives  appear  to  grow  in  importance  as 
we  advance  in  years,  while  in  reality  they  become  more 
and  more  insignificant. 

Among  the  many  subjects  of  my  inquiries,  one  of  the 
first,  on  my  return  to  St.  Louis,  was  about  Shewe,  but 
at  first  with  little  success,  for  he  had  almost  passed  away 
from  the  memory  of  the  oldest  inhabitant,  and  was  but 
a  fossil  as  respected  the  new.  I  found  him,  after  consid- 
erable search,  in  a  back  alley,  the  occupant  of  a  miserable 
board  shanty,  without  floor  or  windows,  and  in  the  low- 
est degree  of  poverty  and  destitution,  and  almost  in  rags. 
He  was  of  course  surprised,  and  expressed  as  much  joy 
as  the  low  condition  of  his  mind  and  body  would  allow. 
Giving  him  some  immediate  aid,  and  promising  to  do 
more,  I  left  him  for  the  present. 

I  am  now  in  St.  Louis,  after  having  pla3'ed  my  part 
as  a  public  man  in  New  Orleans,  Baltimore,  and  South 
America;  as  author,  judge,  legislator,  diplomatist;  I  am 
here,  then,  for  the  second  time,  the  world  before  me  where 
to  choose.  Instead  of  the  old-fashioned  French  village, 
it  was  now  a  rising  city  of  five  or  six  thousand  inhabit- 
ants, with  many  fine  buildings  of  brick  and  wood,  and 
carrying  on  an  extensive  trade  on  the  noble  Rivers  Missis- 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE    WEST.  2G9 

sippi  and  Missouri ;  still,  the  day  of  steamboats  had  only 
just  dawned,  and  compared  to  what  it  is  at  this  time,  the 
rising  city  would  scarcely  deserve  to  rank  as  one  of  its 
suburbs.  The  mau-nificeut  site  which  it  occupies,  I  pro- 
phesied, would  render  it  at  some  future  day  "  the  Mem- 
phis of  the  American  Nile ;"  the  immense  advantages 
of  its  geographical  position  even  surpassing  the  magnifi- 
cence of  its  locality. 

The  reader  will  pardon  the  vanity  of  my  saying  that 
I  found  myself  a  man  of  some  note  at  this  time  in  St. 
Louis,  having  reached  the  mature  age  of  thirty-three, 
and  I  will  take  the  liberty  of  introducing  him  to  a  very 
different  character  from  the  one  of  which  I  have  been 
speaking;  this  was  no  less  a  person  than  the  St.  Louis 
millionaire,  Mr.  John  Melanthy.  I  had  been  slightly 
acquainted  with  him,  but  knew  him  well  by  reputation. 
He  had  speculated  largely  in  cotton  during  the  war.  In 
the  defense,  his  cotton  bales  had  been  taken  for  the 
breastwork,  and  Melanthy  applied  to  General  Jackson. 
"  This  is  your  cotton,"  said  the  general;  "then  no  one 
has  a  better  right  to  defend  it,  so  take  a  musket  and  stand 
in  the  ranks."  Melanthy  had  been  a  soldier,  and  I  have 
no  doubt  a  good  one.  I  have  not  been  authentically  in- 
formed, but  from  my  knowledge  of  the  two  men,  I  will 
not  hesitate  to  say  that  he  accepted  the  situation.  It  is 
certain  that  after  the  peace  was  established  he  dug  out 
his  cotton,  loaded  several  ships  for  Liverpool,  and  cleared 
a  million  of  dollars.  He  then  went  to  St.  Louis,  operated 
in  town  lots  and  lands  around,  expended  large  sums  in 
buildings,  realizing  a  second  fortune.  One  day  he  called 
on  me  after  my  arrival,  and  invited  me  to  dine  with  him. 
He  was  about  sixty-five  years  of  age,  a  large  coarse  look- 
ing man,  with  a  rough  red  face,  a  carbuncled  nose,  show- 
ing his  habits  of  life  to  incline  more  to  the  liquids  than 


210  BRA  CKENRID  GU'S 

the  solids.  His  daughters  were  then  at  Rome  for  their 
religion  and  education,  for  he  was  a  true  and  zealous  son 
of  the  church.  I  found  him  in  a  large  brick  house,  per- 
haps the  largest  in  the  town,  unfurnished  and  untenanted, 
with  the  exception  of  a  back  room,  of  which  he  was  the 
sole  occupant.  Here  I  found  him  seated  before  a  wood 
fire  (coal  was  not  in  use  at  that  time),  while  two  catfish 
heads  were  broiling  on  two  chips  of  wood.  "  There," 
said  he,  "you  see  your  dinner;  that  head  is  yours,  and 
this  is  mine;  we  must  each  do  the  cooking."  It  was  a 
Barmecide  feast,  and  I  determined  to  humor  it.  We  had 
some  excellent  bread  and  butter,  and  to  make  amends  for 
the  dishes,  drank  exquisite  Madeira  out  of  dirty  tumblers. 
The  flow  of  conversation  in  the  mean  time  was  most 
animated ;  he  was  a  man  of  large  experience,  consider- 
able reading,  and  powerful  mind.  On  my  part  I  exerted 
my  conversational  abilities  to  the  utmost,  and  at  that 
day  they  were  not  considered  small,  both  in  the  serious 
and  the  humorous.  It  was  ''the  feast  of  reason  and  the 
flow  of  soul "  "  atwixt  us  twa," — for  there  was  no  one  to 
witness  or  to  share  our  enjoyment.  I  recollect,  among 
other  things  related  by  him,  he  was  once  asked  by  the 
celebrated  Kentucky  lawyer,  Col.  Joe  Davis,  who  fell  at 
the  battle  of  Tippecanoe,  to  tell  him  the  secret  of  his 
success  in  his  transactions  and  speculations.  He  told 
Davis  that  he  had  laid  it  down  as  a  safe  rule,  that  the 
mass  of  the  people,  or  multitude,  was  gencrall}^  wrong, 
and  seldom  right  in  their  opinions  and  actions,  unless  by 
chance,  or  compulsion ;  and,  therefore,  he  always  en- 
deavored to  move  in  a  contrary  direction  from  the  crowd. 
If  he  saw  everybody  going  up  stream,  he  went  down ; 
and  if  every  one  appeared  to  be  going  down,  he  went  up. 
If  everybody  was  buying,  he  sold ;  if  every  one  was 
selling,  he  bought.     This  was  in  fact  the  rule  of  Roths- 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  271 

child,  the  greatest  financier  in  the  world ;  whether 
original  with  Melanthy,  or  borrowed  from  this  sugges- 
tion, I  will  not  undertake  to  say. 

The  dessert,  I  must  add,  was  the  most  substantial  and 
satisfactory  part  of  the  entertainment ;  going  to  his  safe, 
he  brought  forth  a  bag  of  dollars,  and  placing  it  on  the 
table, — ''  There,"  said  he,  "is  a  retaining  fee,  if  I  should 
want  your  professional  services."  I  need  not  say  that 
we  parted  (at  least  I  can  speak  for  myself)  in  a  very  good 
humor ;  and  I  certainly  had  a  very  good  reason  to  en- 
tertain a  high  opinion  of  the  good  sense  of  Mr.  John 
Melanthy. 

It  was  a  shocking  December  evening  out  of  doors, — 
while  I  was  seated  in  my  comfortable  office  before  a 
cheerful  wood  fire,  my  office  table,  books,  and  papers 
behind  me.  I  was  alone — but  busy  thoughts  passing 
through  my  mind.  I  thought  of  the  "  poor  wretches, 
their  unfed  sides,  their  looped  and  windowed  raggedness." 
I  thought  of  Shewe, — and  the  resolve  was  no  sooner 
made  than  executed.  Procuring  a  lantern,  I  waded 
through  mud  on  my  devious  way  to  his  cabin,  and  push- 
ing open  the  door,  for  it  had  no  lock,  found  him  in  his 
bunk  dozing  among  his  buffaloe  skins  or  robes  as  they 
are  called.  He  seemed  at  first  indifferent  to  the  intrusion  ; 
having  no  fear  of  robbers,  as  he  had  nothing  to  be  robbed 
of,  and  to  murder  him  would  be  doing  him  a  favor.  Be- 
ing roused  and  made  to  put  on  his  duds  and  old  surtout, 
he  was  led  out,  as  it  were,  as  a  prisoner.  Parsing  near 
a  barljer's  shop,  the  operation  of  shaving  and  ablution 
Avas  performed  ;  and  then  at  my  room  he  underwent  the 
disguise  of  a  clean  shirt,  and  such  garments  as  I  could 
spare.  The  next  thing  was  to  order  a  supper  from  a 
neighboring  restaurant,  with  bottles  of  ale.  The  half- 
starved,  and  half-forgotten,   and    half-frozen  i)hilosopher 


212  BRACKENRIDGE'S 

was  placed  before  a  comfortable  table,  along  with  me  as ' 
my  guest.  After  the  first  glass  or  two  of  ale,  and  feeling 
the  warmth  of  the  fire,  and  unexpected  transition,  the 
effect  was  as  if  some  magician  had  suddenly  waved  his 
wand  over  the  scene.  "  She  we  was  himself  again."  His 
heart  was  unlocked — then  came  his  hearty  laugh, — then 
his  tongue  was  loosened,  and  in  his  triangular  language, 
a  mixture  of  German,  French,  and  English,  with  a  gar- 
nish of  Latin,  he  fought  over  his  battle  of  the  taking  of 
the  Bastile,  reopened  his  budget  of  anecdotes  of  the  great 
Frederick  and  his  generals,  and  called  back  the  years 
that  had  fled.  Who  could  help  rejoicing  at  seeing  a  fel- 
low-creature thus  gloriously  transformed  I 

"  Care,  mad  tae  see  a  chiel  sae  happy, 
E'en  drown'd  hersel  amid  the  nappy." 

For  my  part,  the  taste  of  genuine  pleasure,  snatched 
by  me  on  that  occasion,  surpassed  the  enjoyment  of  many 
a  gorgeous  feast,  where  everything  was  contrived  to 
enchant  the  senses.  Call  it  benevolence — call  it  selfish- 
ness— what  you  please ;  I  am  not  ashamed  to  own  that 
the  incident  was  grateful  to  my  heart.  The  next  day  my 
resuscitated  friend,  in  his  disguise,  was  introduced  to  some 
of  my  acquaintance  as  Professor  Shewe,  from  Berlin ; 
which  I  could  safely  do,  for  he  had  diplomas  both  from 
Berlin  and  from  Paris.  He  was  soon  better  lodged,  and 
had  French  scholars,  or  rather  Americans  desirous  of 
learning  Fi'ench, — among  others,  Mr.  Benton,  afterward 
a  distinguished  member  of  the  U.  S.  Senate. 

The  story  docs  not  end  yet — it  has  a  sad  sequel.  My 
old  friend  in  the  autumn  found  his  way  to  me  at  Pcnsa- 
cola,  where  I  had  become  a  judge,  and  was  residing 
across  the  bay  at  St.  Rosa,  at  my  pleasant  retreat  on  the 
seashore.     The  yellow  fever  had  broken  out  in  the  town, 


RECOLLECTIONS   OF  THE    WEST.  273 

anrl  in  one  week  had  carried  off  five  hundred  persons. 
Shewe  sought,  with  some  others,  a  refuge  with  me ;  he 
had  had  a  few  French  scholars,  but  his  school  was  then 
broken  up.  For  some  daj^s  I  had  observed  a  strange  ex- 
pression in  his  countenance.  In  the  cool  of  the  evening 
he  set  out  to  take  a  walk  on  the  smooth  beach.  It  was 
late,  and  he  did  not  return.  We  proceeded  to  look  for 
him,  fearful  that  something  might  have  happened ;  we 
shouted  and  fired  guns  in  vain.  There  came  on  a  terrific 
storm  of  wind  and  rain,  which  continued  the  greater  part 
of  the  night.  The  next  morning,  which  was  without  a 
cloud,  the  search  was  resumed.  When  looking  up,  high, 
high  in  the  empyrean,  three  specs  were  seen  circling 
each  other  —  it  was  ominous,  and  I  knew  its  mean- 
ing. The  gyrations  became  nearer  and  nearer,  until  a 
vulture  lighted  on  a  tree.  We  hastened  to  the  spot;  and 
there,  his  umbrella  on  one  side  and  his  Bible  on  the  other, 
lay  all  that  was  mortal  of  Frederick  Sheice  !  The  last 
funeral  rites,  as  well  as  circumstances  would  permit,  were 
paid ;  and  then  we  left  him  to  his  last  repose.  May  the 
God  of  Mercy  forgive  us  our  trespasses  as  we  for- 
give THOSE  WHO  TRESPASS  AGAINST  US. 


24 


APPENDIX. 


VIAM   VENIAS,  AUT    FIAS. 


LETTER  TO  WALTER  FORWARD. 

Washington  City,  Sept.  29th,  1817. 
Walter  Forward,  Esq. 

My  dear  Friend, — Nothing  gives  me  more  pleasure  than  to 
hear  of  your  continued  success  in  your  profession.  During  the 
three  years  we  pursued  our  legal  studies,  we  were  inseparable, 
as  if  we  were  possessed  of  but  one  mind,  although  in  two  bodies. 
The  difiference,  now,  is  very  great ;  after  some  years  of  success- 
ful practice,  you  became  attached  to  the  soil,  glebce  adstrictis  ; 
became  the  father  of  a  family,  became  deeply  rooted,  and  grew 
like  the  noble  "  green  bay-tree  by  the  water  side ;"  while  I  con- 
tinued an  unsettled  wanderer,  without  local  attachments,  with- 
out root,  with  but  little  weight  or  influence  in  any  society.  Per- 
haps early  habit,  perhaps  accidental  circumstances,  perhaps 
natural  propensity,  have  shaped  my  destiny  so  different  from 
yours. 

In  your  last  and  most  friendly  letter,  prompted  by  kindly  in- 
terest, and  also  by  curiosity,  you  put  a  number  of  questions  to 
me,  relating  to  myself,  to  my  habitual  pursuits,  to  my  occupa- 
tions, my  studies,  and  particularly  to  my  intercourse  with  books, 
those  silent  and  interesting  friends  to  whom  we  have  both  been 
so  much  devoted.  My  father  was  once  asked  by  a  friend,  during 
ray  first  sojourn  in  the  City  of  Baltimore,  where  he  should  find 
me;  he  was  told  he  had  only  to  go  to  any  bookstore  or  public 
collection  of  books,  and  there  he  would  have  no  difTiculty  in  dis- 
covering my  whereabouts.    In  fact,  the  fine  city  lil)rary,  and  the 

(275) 


276  APPENDIX. 

largest  bookstores  were  resorts  as  natural  to  me  as  the  water- 
brook  to  the  thirsty  wild  deer  of  the  forests.  The  first  year  in 
Baltimore,  I  took  no  office,  but  passed  a  few  hours,  in  the  morn- 
ing, in  the  ofiice  of  a  friend,  applying  myself  to  the  chancery 
practice,  and  making  myself  useful  to  him  with  my  pen,  at  the 
same  time  adding  to  my  professional  knowledge.  The  rest  of 
the  time  was  passed  in  sauntering  about  the  town,  observinsr 
and  thinking.  Being  on  the  most  friendly  terms  with  all  the 
booksellers,  they  gave  me  the  free  use  of  their  books,  by  which 
means  I  had  the  benefit  of  all  the  latest  publications  ;  and  in 
return  endeavored  to  make  myself  useful  generally.  My  lawyer 
friend  gave  me  the  benefit  of  his  share  in  the  public  library,  con- 
taining some  fifteen  or  twenty  thousand  volumes,  and  you  may 
be  sure  that  I  greedily  availed  myself  of  it.  This,  also,  gave 
the  right  to  take  a  particular  book  to  my  lodgings  for  a  certain 
period.  Being  always  a  night  student,  I  employed  in  this  way 
much  waste  time,  although  the  greater  part  of  the  day  was 
passed  in  thoughtful  idleness  out  of  doors.  To  economize  time, 
the  interval  between  daybreak  and  breakfast  was  passed  reading 
in  bed.  We  are  told  by  Bacon  that  some  books  are  to  be 
studied,  some  to  be  read,  and  others  to  be  perused.  One  who 
has  read  many  books  acquires  a  faculty  of  reading  rapidly. 
The  books  to  be  studied  are  comparatively  the  fewer  number, 
especially  to  one  who  has  already  made  the  circle  of  general 
reading:  many  books  contain  the  same  things,  repeated,  or  pre- 
sented in  different  forms;  others  may  be  mastered  by  simply 
reading  the  table  of  contents,  and  a  facility  can  be  acquired 
from  much  practice,  by  reading  a  page  at  a  time,  by  simply  dip- 
ping into  it,  and  catching  a  few  words  here  and  there.  There 
is  also  a  species  of  book  knowledge,  or  knowledge  of  books, 
acquired  from  the  catalogue,  and  becoming  familiar  with  the 
names  of  the  authors  who  treat  on  different  subjects,  or  simply 
turning  over  the  leaves  and  title-page.  I  have  run  over  octavos 
in  a  few  minutes,  where  the  subject  was  familiar,  while  a  single 
page  lias  occupied  my  attention  for  an  hour.  Reading  and 
thinking  are  very  different  things.  Some  books  are  so  fascina- 
ting that  I  could  not  desist  without  a  sigh  of  chagrin  and  dis- 
appointment. 


APPENDIX.  2V'7 

T  attended  the  courts  occasionally  where  important  cases 
were  tried,  but  could  not  bear  the  dull  routine,  either  of  the 
court  or  the  olBce,  where  the  same  thing  was  repeated  over  and 
over  again,  from  which  I  learned  nothing.  Like  a  blind  horse  in 
a  bark-mill,  although  in  motion  there  was  no  progress.  It  was 
different  where  there  was  an  opportunity  to  listen  to  the  able 
speeches  of  lawyers ;  these  were  carried  with  me,  and  formed 
matter  for  solitary  declamation  in  some  out-of-the-way  place, 
which  could  always  be  found. 

The  Baltimore  Library  was  particularly  rich  in  the  ancient 
Greek  and  Eoman  writers,  or  classics.  I  could  read  the  Latin 
with  vernacular  fluency.  One  cannot  be  said  to  be  proficient 
in  a  language  until  he  can  throw  aside  the  dictionary  and  gram- 
mar, and  construe  words  and  passages  by  the  context,  and  the 
force  of  reasoning.  As  to  the  Greek,  my  proficiency  was  only 
such  as  is  made  by  the  usual  course  of  the  classics  at  our  schools, 
while  I  was  at  home  in  eight  languages.  If  I  had  come  across 
such  a  treasure  as  this  at  an  earlier  period  of  life,  I  should  have 
been  the  poorer  by  many  thousand  pages,  or  even  volumes  of 
general  reading.  It  was  now  too  late — I  could  not  spare  the  time, 
with  the  exception  of  select  portions  of  the  Greek  tragic  authors, 
with  aid  of  Potter,  etc.  I  was,  therefore,  obliged  to  be  content 
with  the  best  translations  of  the  Greek  dramatists,  vEschj-lus, 
Euripides,  and  Sophocles.  Of  the  latter,  I  found  a  fine  French 
translation,  and  an  Italian  one  of  Aristophanes.  Thus,  although 
it  could  not  be  said  of  me  that  I  had  only  "  small  Latin  and  less 
Greek,"  yet  I  could  not  pretend  to  be  a  great  proficient  in  the 
classics.  The  classical  reader  will  discover  from  the  frequent 
allusion  in  my  writings  (like  Freemason  signs)  that  my  mind 
was,  notwithstanding,  tolerably  well  imbued  with  the  master- 
pieces of  Greece  and  Rome. 

When  I  left  Baltimore,  I  went  to  Somerset,  as  a  place  of  study 
and  practice.  You  know,  personally,  this  part  of  my  history. 
On  leaving  Somerset,  my  next  stopping-place  was  St.  I^ouis,  in 
Missouri.  My  correspondence  will  tell  you  the  rest.  You  have 
my  book  on  Louisiana,  and  the  account  of  my  voyage  or  trip  up 
the  Missouri,  as  the  Fidus  Achafcs  of  Manud  Lisa.  lie  was  a 
raan  of  *•  bold  emprise,"  like  some  of  the  Spanish  heroes  of  the 

24* 


278  APPENDIX. 

conquest.  It  was  a  good  opportunity  to  improve  my  Spanish, 
as  we  spoke  the  language  exclusively,  and  read  Don  Quixote 
together,  at  such  intervals  as  we  would  snatch  for  the  purpose. 
You  must  remember  the  anecdote  related  of  Walpole.  An 
adventurer  applying  to  him  for  employment,  was  advised  by  the 
great  statesman  to  learn  the  Spanish  language.  After  a  time, 
the  applicant  returned,  and  informed  him  that  he  had  succeeded 
in  making  the  desired  acquisition:  "Then,  sir,"  said  Walpole, 
"you  can  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  reading  Don  Quixote." 

But  to  pursue  my  book  chronicle.  My  next  step  was  New 
Orleans.  This  was  a  place  of  wild  confusion,  of  all  nations  and 
tongues — a  pluce  of  speculation,  dissipation,  debauchery,  and 
revel ;  but  not  much  for  books.  Yet  I  found  a  library,  and  a  good 
one ;  at  least  an  extensive  one,  occupying  the  old  government 
house,  but  consisting  of  old,  second-hand  books,  like  the  con- 
tributions of  a  thousand  private  libraries,  or  the  mingled  trash 
and  drift  of  her  great  river.  There  was  no  information  to  be 
had  of  its  history,  although  it  was  modern,  having  sprung  into 
existence  since  the  change  of  government.  I  was  almost  the 
sole  visitor,  and  roamed  through  it  in  pursuit  of  old  authors  re- 
lating to  the  colonization  of  Louisiana,  to  garnish  the  work  on 
which  I  had  been  engaged  in  St.  Louis,  and  some  valuable  ones 
were  found,  unknown  to  me  before.  I  refer  you  to  my  statement 
in  "  Walshe's  Register,"  of  the  question  of  the  boundaries  of 
Louisiana,  under  the  treaties  between  the  different  nations,  who, 
at  various  periods,  in  succession,  were  the  owners  of  the  province. 

Now,  for  a  more  active  life — through  horrid  swamps  and 
dreary  regions,  on  the  circuit,  as  deputy  attorney-general  for  the 
Territory,  an  office  which  no  one  else  would  undertake,  just  be- 
fore the  spring  floods,  when  half  the  country  would  be  under 
water.  'J'here  were  no  books  here,  but  much  ugly  traveling  on 
horseback,  and  some  dangerous  work  in  prosecuting  robbers 
and  outlaws,  especially  on  the  west  side  of  Red  River,  and  the 
border  of  Texas.  This  circuit  of  a  thousand  miles  was  repeated 
after  the  water  had  subsided,  in  the  autumn,  wilh  a  plentiful 
accompaniment  of  mosquitoes  and  bilious  fever,  of  which  I  took 
my  share.  The  winter  was  passed  in  assisting  to  organize  the 
new  State  government,  in  which  1  took  my  part  in  the  new  legis- 


APPENDIX.  279 

lative  act,  establishing  the  new  judiciary  system,  partly  com- 
piled from  that  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and  partly  from 
that  of  the  Federal  system.  In  this  alluvial  region  people  rise 
very  suddenly,  at  least  they  did  so  at  that  time,  and  thus,  when 
little  more  than  a  boy,  they  made  me  one  of  the  judges  of  the 
six  districts  into  which  the  State  was  partitioned  by  me,  for  it 
was  my  work,  that  is  to  say,  through  others. 

My  domicile  became  Baton  Rouge,  a  quiet  and  pleasant  place 
for  a  student,  and  abundant  leisure  from  business.  Even  here 
books  could  be  had  ;  the  ruling  passion  will  be  gratified,  whether 
it  be  for  books,  or  wine,  or  billiards.  A  close  intimacy  was  soon 
formed  with  an  enlightened  Spaniard,  Don  Juan  Lopez,  an  old 
bachelor,  who  resembled  Don  Quixote  in  person,  and  had  the 
same  passion  for  spending  a  considerable  portion  of  his  income 
in  the  purchase  of  books,  not  of  knight-errantry,  but  embracing 
general  literature  in  its  various  branches.  Here  was  my  first 
introduction  to  Fe^joo,  the  Spanish  philosophical  monk,  and  the 
counterpart  of  the  celebrated  Dr.  Browne,  the  author  of  the  work 
on  "  Vulgar  Errors."  Here  were  some  splendid  editions  by  the 
"  Spanish  Academy,"  one  of  the  first  in  ability  in  p]urope.  There 
was  Mariana,  the  national  historian  ;  there  was  Ercila,  the 
national  epic ;  and  Ckrvantes,  the  world-renowned,  with  noble 
illustrations  by  the  first  Spanish  masters.  I  dined  almost  every 
day  with  Sefior  Lopez,  and,  as  he  did  not  understand  English,  I 
was  forced  to  speak  Spanish.  But  I  had  now  a  difficult  task 
before  me,  having  to  study  a  new  system,  the  Roman  civil  law, 
with  its  offsjirings  of  France  and  Spain,  and  laying  aside,  for  the 
present,  the  good  old  common  law  of  Coke  and  Blackstone.  In 
addition  to  these,  there  were  the  Code  Frederick  and  the  Code 
Napoleon,  'i'his  was  no  child's  play — two  years  of  close  appli- 
cation was  the  least  that  was  required.  It  was  different  from 
learning  a  new  language;  yet,  as  in  this  case,  the  ac(|uinng  of 
one  greatly  facilitates  the  acquisition  of  another  ;  so  I  plunged 
into  the  Corpus  Juris  and  the  Institutes,  and  then  into  Domat, 
FoTHiKR,  the  Partidas,  Febrero,  and  the  Recopilation. 

Now  came  on  the  war  of  1812  ;  all  movement  or  business  in 
Louisiana  was  at  an  end  for  the  present — it  appeared  almost  a 
solitude.     The  grass  grew  in  the  streets  of  New  Orleans.     The 


280  APPENDIX. 

seat  of  war  was  in  the  Nortli ;  but  no  one  could  tell  how  soon 
it  might  be  transferred  to  the  South,  the  weakest  part  of  the 
Union.  I  made  a  public  address  to  the  people  in  the  city  in 
favor  of  the  war.  There  was  no  enthusiasm  or  American  feel- 
ing. Among  the  French,  the  European  portion  seemed  to  take 
the  lead.  They  were  crazy  Napoleonists.  Some  of  them  even 
called  him  "  our  emperor."  This  made  me  hate  him.  The  ma- 
jority of  the  native  French  were  either  indifferent  or  had  never 
entertained  any  American  feelings.  There  were  some,  however, 
of  the  more  intelligent  who  preferred  American  independence  to 
foreign  colonial  vassalage.  But,  on  the  downfall  of  the  great 
embodiment  of  military  aristocracy,  all  this  was  changed,  and 
with  the  first  military  movement  a  patriotic  feeling  began  to 
show  itself  in  every  class.  Even  the  European  French,  from 
deadly  hatred  to  Britain  (with  the  exception  of  a  small  number 
of  Bourbonists),  rallied  round  the  standard  of  the  Union.  After 
Waterloo,  England  was  at  liberty  to  turn  her  attention  to  the 
remote  and  defenseless  outskirt  of  the  Union ;  and  during  the 
last  year  of  the  war  an  invasion  began  to  be  looked  for.  Hav- 
ing little  to  do,  and  my  opportunities  aff'ording  me  considerable 
means  for  acquiring  information,  I  began  a  correspondence  with 
the  government.  I  mean  I  volunteered  my  communications  re- 
specting the  condition  of  the  country ;  that  is,  with  respect  to 
the  apprehended  invasion  and  movements  of  the  enemy.  Al- 
though these  communications  were  not  directly  noticed,  yet  Mr. 
Madison,  through  our  delegate  in  Congress,  expressed  his  ap- 
probation, and  desired  me  to  continue  them,  at  the  same  time 
intimating  a  desire  to  engage  my  services  in  a  diplomatic  capa- 
city. I  believe  that  on  more  than  one  occasion  I  imparted  im- 
portant and  valuable  information.*  In  the  year  1814,  at  the 
request  of  General  Shaler,  I  was  joined  with  him  in  the  mission 
to  Mexico,  which  almost  immediately  fell  through,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  counter-revolution  in  that  country,  which  for  a 
time  restored  power  to  the  royalists.  Tempted  by  the  prospects 
of  a  diplomatic  career,  I  repaired  to  Washington,  and  was  iu- 

*"  Some  of  it  obtained  through  R.  R.  Keen,  then  an  exile  from  Balti- 
more. 


APPENDIX.  281 

troduced  to  Mr.  ^[adison,  and  by  him  to  the  Secretary  of  State, 
Mr.  Monroe.  Mr.  Madison  repeated  personally  what  he  had 
authorized  Mr.  Boling  Robertson  to  say.  I  shall  not  forget  the 
compliment  he  was  pleased  to  pay  to  my  father :  "  Your  father 
and  I,"  said  he,  "were  in  the  same  class  at  Princeton;  he  was 
the  first  and  I  was  the  last."  Having  no  words  for  a  suitable 
reply,  I  could  only  make  a  very  low  inclination  of  the  head  and 
remain  silent.  After  passing  a  few  months  in  Philadelphia, 
enjoying  a  glorious  feast  in  the  Franklin  Library  and  Mathew 
Carey's  extensive  bookstore,  I  resolved  to  return  to  Paltimore  to 
await  the  events  which  might  follow  the  general  peace,  and  in 
the  mean  time  make  another  attempt  to  engage  in  the  practice  of 
the  law,  with  the  additional  experience  and  knowledge  which  I 
had  acquired  with  somewhat  maturer  years.  My  old  habits  of 
frequenting  the  Baltimore  Library  and  the  bookstores  were  re- 
sumed,  but  with  a  more  frequent  attendance  on  the  courts.  Mr. 
Pinkney  had  returned  from  Europe,  and  was  now  the  head  of 
the  bar.  Peace  was  restored,  and  the  war  terminated  in  the 
glorious  victory  of  New  Orleans. 

My  finances  began  to  run  low,  without  certain  supply  from 
stated  salary  or  profession ;  and  the  dark  cloud  of  debt  began 
to  show  itself  at  a  distance.  One  of  my  bookseller  friends  made 
me  a  proposal,  which  I  was  tempted  to  accept,  although  it  put 
my  mental  powers  to  a  severe  trial.  He  was  desirous  of  getting 
up  an  early  history  of  the  war,  so  as  to  meet  the  fiiU  sales,  and 
offered  me  six  hundred  dollars  for  one,  provided  it  could  be  writ- 
ten and  put  through  the  press  in  six  weeks,  lie  procured  for 
me  all  the  requisite  documents,  files  of  papers,  pamphlets,  official 
reports,  etc.  Having  procured  a  suitable  place  (a  kind  of  gar- 
ret), I  set  to  work.  I  read  and  arranged  in  the  daytime,  and 
then  wrote  at  night.  My  task  was  thirty  pages  of  foolscap, 
which  I  had  ready  in  the  morning  with  the  corrected  sheets 
(sixteen  pages  octavo)  when  the  printer's  devil  paid  me  his 
visit.  The  task  was  accomplished  within  the  time,  but  the  con- 
sequences were  terrible.  I  thought  I  would  never  be  able  to 
dismiss  the  subject  from  my  tortured  brain.  For  weeks  and 
weeks  I  labored  to  bring  back  my  mind  to  its  healthy  state,  and 
it  seemed  to  me  that  I  must  go  mad.     'i'he  ideas  of  blood,  and 


282  APPENDIX. 

battles,  and  politics,  had  taken  possession  of  my  head  to  the 
exclusion  of  all  other  thoughts.  One  of  my  symptoms  was  a 
nervous  twitching,  like  St.  Vitus's  dance.  By  slow  degrees, 
these  symptoms  became  weaker;  but  it  was  long  before  I  recov- 
ered entirely  from  this  overexertion.  I  realized  a  handsome 
sum  for  so  short  a  period  of  labor.  Two  thousand  copies,  being 
the  first  edition,  disappeared  almost  immediately.  Another 
edition  of  four  thousand  was  called  for,  for  which  I  received 
half  the  amount  I  got  for  the  first. 

My  old  practice  of  solitary  declamation  was  renewed,  and  in 
my  wanderings  I  discovered  a  spot  peculiarly  adapted  to  the 
purpose.  It  was  on  Whetstone  point,  a  long,  narrow  peninsula, 
with  what  was  called  the  Ferry  branch  on  one  side,  and  the 
inner  harbor  or  basin  on  the  other,  and  terminating  at  Fort 
McHenry  (the  defense  of  the  city),  and  from  a  quarter  to  half 
a  mile  wide.  It  was  bare  and  naked,  or  only  covered  with  a 
very  short  grass.  About  half  way  down,  and  nearer  the  Ferry 
branch,  there  was  a  very  curious  spot :  it  was  a  sort  of  natural 
quickset  hedge,  covering  a  few  acres  of  ground,  the  shrubbery 
five  or  six  feet  high,  and  apparently  impervious  ;  but  what  was 
singular,  in  the  interior  it  was  separated  by  five  or  six  small 
glades  or  grassy  apartments,  each  separately  inclosed,  as  if  de- 
signed to  be  private  or  secret.  It  was  a  bushy  dell  or  thicket, 
worthy  of  the  pastorals  of  Theocritus.  In  these  solitary  re- 
cesses, I  often  practiced  declamation,  going  from  the  one  open- 
ing to  the  other,  on  fine  mornings  and  evenings.  I  am  about  to 
relate  a  curious  incident,  which  I  think  will  probably  amuse 
you.  As  the  spot  was  entirely  unfrequented,  and  at  least  a 
mile  from  any  habitation,  it  was  altogether  private  and  free 
from  the  risk  of  interruption.  One  morning,  as  I  was  entering 
this  sanctum,  I  thought  I  heard  a  voice,  and  approaching  cau- 
tiously, and  peering  through  the  thicket,  who  should  I  discover 
but  my  friend,  William  Pinkney,  ventilating  his  oratory  accord- 
ing to  my  own  practice  !  Aha  !  thought  I,  you  are  stealing 
my  thunder,  are  you  ?  or  rather,  you  have  a  thunder  manufac- 
tory of  your  own  !  Determined  to  take  advantage  of  this  acci- 
dental rencounter,  I  chose  a  favorable  spot  where  I  could  see 
and  hear  without  being  seen.     And  here  the  great  orator  was 


APPENDIX.  283 

hammering  out,  or  rather  rehearsing,  a  speech.  For  a  full  hour 
the  outline  was  traced,  and  certain  passages  repeated  and  elabo- 
rated with  every  variety  of  emphasis  and  intonation, 

I  did  not  fail  to  be  at  the  court-house  the  next  morning.  The 
court  and  bar  were  waiting  impatiently  for  Mr.  Pinkney.  They 
were  all  out  of  humor ;  a  messenger  had  been  sent  for  him. 
He  came  at  length,  with  a  somewhat  hurried  step.  He  entered, 
bowing  and  apologizing  :  "  I  beg  your  honor's  pardon,  it  really 
escaped  my  recollection  that  this  was  the  day  fixed  for  the 
trial.  I  am  very  sorry  on  my  own  account,  as  well  as  on  ac- 
count of  others  ;  I  fear  I  am  but  poorly  prepared,  but  as  it  can- 
not be  avoided,  I  must  do  the  best  in  my  power."  He  was 
dressed  and  looked  as  if  he  had  just  set  out  on  a  morning  walk 
of  pleasure,  like  a  mere  Bond  Street  lounger.  His  hat,  beauti- 
ful and  glossy,  in  his  hand,  his  small  rattan  tapping  the  crown. 
He  drew  off  his  gloves,  and  placed  them  on  the  table.  He  was 
dressed  most  carefully,  neatly  but  plainly,  and  in  the  best  fash- 
ion. His  coat  was  of  blue  broadcloth,  with  gilt  buttons ;  his 
vest  of  white  Marseilles,  with  gold  studs,  elegantly  fitting  pants 
and  shining  half  boots  ;  he  was  the  polished  gentleman  of  leis- 
ure accidentally  dropped  down  in  a  motley  group  of  inferior 
beings.  He  was  of  the  middle  size,  rather  full  in  person,  but 
not  too  much  so  for  his  years,  verging  on  sixty.  His  appear- 
ance was  even  younger.  His  hair  was  without  a  single  touch 
of  gray,  of  a  light  brown,  and  dressed  d  la  coxcomb  ;  the  heavy 
massive  brow  rose  above  the  clear  blue  eye,  and  formed  a  well- 
marked  abutment  to  the  nose,  which  Lavater  in  his  physiog- 
nomy designates  by  name,  and  regards  as  the  indication  of  in- 
tellectual strength  and  power,  although  the  straight  forehead  is 
not  always  an  indication  of  weakness,  for  the  statue  of  Apollo 
has  such  a  one,  except  that  it  is  not  retreating,  the  facial  angle, 
according  to  Blumenbach,  leaving  ample  space  for  the  higher 
intellectual  organs.  The  face  of  the  orator  was  large,  and 
somewhat  coarse,  the  skin  by  no  means  delicate,  but  rather  the 
reverse  ;  the  lips  somewhat  thin,  but  firm  and  muscular,  cover- 
ing the  teeth  even  when  speaking  ;  the  chin  rather  small,  and 
the  other  features  in  perfect  harmony,  although  he  could  not  be 
considered  handsome.     Such  was  the  general  appearance  of  the 


284  APPENDIX. 

greatest  orator  of  the  American  bar,  and  I  doubt  whether  he  will 
ever  have  his  superior  in  these  States.  When  he  began,  his  tones 
were  low  and  even  somewhat  plaintive,  like  the  sound  of  the  com- 
ing wind  through  a  forest,  or  the  humming  of  a  swarm  of  bees.  As 
he  proceeded,  his  musical  voice  gradually  rose  with  the  subject ; 
there  was  an  occasional  swell,  and  then  a  lull,  with  but  little 
gesture  or  effort.  By  degrees  he  warmed,  but  without  those  oc- 
casional bursts  in  which  the  speaker  seems  to  lose  himself,  but 
still  subdued,  yet  not  permitting  the  listener  to  remit  Iris  atten- 
tion for  a  moment.  The  distinctness  of  his  articulation  was 
most  remarkable,  and  was,  in  fact,  the  chief  beauty  of  his  de- 
livery, but  free  from  all  theatrical  rant  or  fury.  The  speech 
was  lawyer-like  throughout,  and  chiefly  addressed  to  the  under- 
standing. The  subject  of  the  present  speech  did  not  admit  of 
the  terrific  or  of  the  pathetic,  but  was  interspersed  with  some 
beautiful  passages,  which  shed  their  brilliancy  over  the  whole. 
His  voice  was  not  of  the  clear  and  ringing  kind,  which  often 
draws  off  the  attention  from  the  matter,  but  rather  the  softened 
sound  of  the  piano  when  the  pedal  is  applied.  The  words 
and  sentences  seemed  to  flow  into  each  other  in  perfect  musical 
harmony,  without  sudden  break  or  abruptness,  but  rising  and 
falling,  or  changing  with  the  subject,  still  retaining  an  irresisti- 
ble hold  on  the  attention  of  the  listeners.  No  one  stirred ;  all 
seemed  motionless,  as  if  enchained  or  fascinated,  and  in  a  glow 
of  rapture,  like  persons  entranced — myself  among  the  rest,  al- 
though some  portions  of  the  speech  were  already  familiar  to 
me,  having  heard  them  before,  and  this  circumstance  threatened 
to  break  the  spell :  but  the  efi'ect  was  complete  with  the  audi- 
ence, and  the  actual  delivery  was  so  superior  to  the  study,  that 
the  inclination  to  risibility  was  checked  at  once,  and  my  feelings 
were  again  in  unison  with  those  around  me.  It  was  a  most  won- 
derful display,  and  its  effect  long  continued  to  master  my  feel- 
ings and  judgment.  I  had  the  vanity  to  think  that  the  same 
divinity  stirred  within  me,  and  mentally  exclaimed,  ancli''  io  sono 
anche  inttore — I,  too,  am  a  painter — but  not  from  the  vain  hope 
of  ever  equaling  what  I  had  seen  and  heard,  but  from  pure  ad- 
miration and  desire  to  do  homage  to  the  glorious  gift,  or  rather 
art,  of  eloquence. 


APPENDIX.  285 

You  wish  me  to  explain  how  I  came  to  be  elected  to  repre- 
sent the  great  City  of  Baltimore  in  the  legislature  of  the  State, 
almost  a  perfect  stranger,  and  no  stake  or  interest  in  society. 
In  my  idle  walks  I  had  made  many  personal  acquaintances;  and 
there  was  my  recent  History  of  the  War,  with  a  variety  of  other 
publications.  But  still  more  important  was  the  practice  of 
stump  speaking  among  candidates,  which  had  recently  been  in- 
troduced, and  it  so  happened  that  I  became  almost  immediately 
successful  aiiJ  popular  in  that  line.  The  place  of  display  was 
the  elevated  area  in  front  of  the  court-house,  and  the  open  space 
in  the  Monumental  Square,  for  the  reception  of  the  hearers.  I 
shall  not  speak  of  my  own  oratory,  except  to  say  that  it  was  suc- 
cessful beyond  my  expectations,  and  you  may  say  its  merits.  I 
was  astonished  at  my  own  popularity.  Among  six  candidates  I 
carried  the  election  by  fifteen  hundred  of  a  majority.  I  lost  no 
popularity  in  the  legislature,  but  before  the  second  election,  the 
Missouri  question  arose,  and  as  1  took  the  side  of  Missouri 
against  restriction,  my  Quaker  friends  left  me,  and  in  conse- 
quence my  majority  fell  oflf  to  one  thousand. 

I  now  come  to  the  most  important  period  of  my  life.  Shortly 
after  the  rise  of  the  legislature  (my  second  term),  I  received  a 
letter  from  the  Secretary  of  State,  requesting  my  presence  at 
Washington,  as  the  government  had  in  contemplation  an  im- 
portant diplomatic  mission  in  which,  if  it  should  take  effect,  Mr. 
Monroe,  then  President,  wished  to  engage  my  services.  It  was 
this  which  brought  me  to  Washington,  where  I  have  now  been 
three  months,  waiting  the  maturity  of  events,  in  the  proposed 
mission  to  South  America,  in  which  I  am  to  act  as  secretary, 
with  three  commissioners,  only  one  of  whom  has  yet  been  se- 
lected— to  wit,  Mr.  John  Graham  of  the  Department  of  State. 
My  hunger  for  books  was  here  indulged  in  the  library  of  Con- 
gress, with  the  recent  addition  of  the  library  of  Mr.  Jefferson, 
purchased  by  the  government, — the  librarian  and  myself  being 
about  the  sole  occupants  for  several  months.  This  was  indeed 
a  feast  for  me.  The  library  of  Mr.  Jefferson  was  particularly 
rich  in  the  works  of  contemporary  periods  of  the  American 
and  French  revolutions  ;  and  these  I  attacked  like  a  ravenous 
wolf.     I  have  just  published,  in  pamphlet  form,  an  anonymous 

25 


286  APPENDIX. 

letter,  addressed  to  Mr.  Monroe,  on  the  subject  of  the  recogni- 
tion of  the  independence  of  the  South  American  States,  which 
is  the  great  question  of  the  day.  In  this  I  have  availed  myself 
of  the  extensive  course  of  reading  which  my  present  opportu- 
nities have  afforded  me.  I  transmit  to  you  a  copy  of  it,  and 
will  now  close  this  long  and  tedious  letter,  with  the  request  that 
you  will  give  my  best  respects  to  Mrs.  Forward,  and  all  our 
friends.  Yours  sincerely, 

H.  M.  Brackenridge. 


"  Previous  to  the  sailing  of  the  mission,  an  anonymous  pam- 
phlet was  published  at  Washington,  in  the  shape  of  a  letter  ad- 
dressed to  Mr.  Monroe  by  '  an  American,'  warmly  advocating 
the  recognition  of  the  South  American  republics,  regardless  of 
the  policy  of  the  European  nations.  The  pamphlet  being  known 
as  the  production  of  the  secretary  of  the  mission,  was  supposed 
to  express  the  views  of  the  administration.  It  was  republished 
in  London  in  a  periodical  entitled  the  '  Pamphleter,'  a  kind  of 
repository  of  the  most  remarkable  pamphlets  or  ephemeral  pro- 
ductions of  the  day,  deemed  worthy  of  preservation  as  materials 
for  history.  The  Spanish  Minister,  Don  Carlos,  employed  an 
English  writer  to  draw  up  a  reply,  which  was  actually  printed, 
as  stated  by  Mr.  Rush,  the  American  Minister,  but  never  pub- 
lished. The  pamphlet  was  translated  by  the  Abbe  du  Pradt 
(afterward  Archbishop  of  Malines),  the  negotiator  and  diplo- 
matist of  Napoleon,  at  Vienna  and  other  Courts.  This  trans- 
lation "pays  the  highest  complimeiit  that  was  ever  bestowed  by  a 
HJwropean  on  an  American  author.'^ 

"  La  lettre  k  M.  Monroe  est  I'ouvrage  de  M.  Brackenridge, 
secretaire  de  la  commission  que  Ic  gouvernement  americain 
vient  d'envoyer  dans  I'Am^riquc  Meridionale. 

"  L'interet  de  cette  pi6ce  est  fort  grand,  par  les  considerations 
qu'elle  pr^sente  sur  I'^tat  de  rAm6rique,  ainsi  par  la  manifes- 
tation de  la  manifere  dont  en  Ameriquc  on  envisage  cette  grande 
question.  En  Europe,  on  en  juge  en  Europ6un;  en  Amerique,  en 
americain,  il  doit  y  avoir  entre  les  deux  jugements  la  distance  qui 


APPENDIX.  281 

sc  remarque  entre  les  deux  hemispheres  et  les  deux  interets. 
Les  id6es  les  plus  saines  sur  les  causes  de  la  revolution  de  rAm^- 
ri(iue,  les  apergus  les  plus  judicieux  sur  les  germes  de  I'ind^pen- 
dance,  qui  en  se  d6veloppant  I'oni  fait  §clore,  les  principes  les 
plus  g4n6reux  de  politique  de  peuple  il  peuple,  les  effets  les 
plus  6vidents  du  succ^s  de  la  revolution  pour  I'Europe,  comme 
pour  rAmerique,  Tindication  la  plus  claire  du  systJime  federatif 
des  diverses  parties  de  1' Amerique,  pour  se  soutenir  mutuellement 
dans  leur  independance,  tels  sont  les  divers  caracteres  qui  rendent 
cet  ecrit  infiniment  rccommandable.  Justesse  dans  les  aper- 
Qus  et  les  jugenients,  hardiesse  dans  les  vues,  originalite  dans 
I'id^e  et  I'expression,  tout  se  trouvc  dans  cet  ecrit,  et  montre  k 
TEurope  qu'il  existe  au-dela  des  mers  des  penseurs  qui  ne  le 
cedent  point  a  ceux  qui,  en  Europe,  se  font  remarquer  par  I'eclat 
et  variete  de  leurs  talents." 

"  The  letter  to  Mr.  Monroe  is  the  work  of  Mr.  Brackenridge, 
secretary  of  the  commission  which  the  American  government 
has  just  sent  to  South  America. 

"  The  interest  of  this  piece  is  of  great  moment,  as  well  on  ac- 
count of  the  considerations  which  it  presents  on  the  condition 
of  America,  as  by  the  manifestation  of  the  manner  in  wliich  this 
great  question  is  viewed  in  that  country.  Tn  Europe,  we  judge 
of  it  as  Europeans;  in  America,  it  is  seen  through  American  eyes: 
and  there  must  necessarily  be  as  much  difference  between  the 
two  judgments,  as  there  is  between  the  distance  and  interests  of 
the  two  hemispheres.  Ideas  the  most  sound  on  the  causes  of 
the  American  revolution,  the  most  judicious  perceptions  of  the 
germs  of  independence,  which,  in  developing  themselves,  caused 
them  to  break  forth — the  most  generous  principles  of  political 
policy  between  nations — the  most  palpable  effects  following  the 
success  of  those  revolutions,  not  only  for  Europe,  but  for 
America — the  clearest  indication  of  the  federative  system  of  the 
•different  parts  of  America,  for  the  purpose  of  mutually  sustain- 
ing each  other  in  their  independence, — such  are  the  various  char- 
acters which  render  this  production  infinitely  rccommendablo. 
Correctness  in  the  perceptions  and  judgments,  boldne-s  in  the 
opinions  and  views,  originality  in  the  ideas  and  expressions, — 
all  these  are  found  in  this  production,  and  show  to  Europe  that 


288  APPENDIX. 

on  the  other  side  of  the  ocean  there  are  thinkers  who  do  not 
yield  to  those  of  Europe  most  distinguished  for  the  variety  and 
brilliancy  of  their  talents." 


SPEECH  ON  THE  JEW  BILL, 

In  the  House  of  Delegates  of  Maryland,  1818. 

The  following  correspondence  is  given  as  an  introduction  to 
the  speech  on  the  Jew  Bill,  or  rather  on  the  Rights  of  Con- 
science. 

The  letter  of  Judge  Young  comprises  all  that  could  be  urged, 
with  any  sound  reason,  against  the  passage  of  the  bill  to  repeal 
the  test  which  excluded  the  Jews  from  most  of  the  essential 
rights  of  citizenship.  The  letter  of  the  judge  was  very  briefly 
answered  by  me,  but  my  speech,  in  fact,  contains  the  answer 
in  full,  and  was  indeed  mainly  prompted  by  that  letter.  The 
judge  was  a  learned  and  good  man,  but  behind  the  age,  like  the 
great  majority  of  the  enlightened  men  of  his  day,  while  I  was 
borne  on  the  current  which  floated  past  them.  I  give  my 
speech,  also,  as  a  sample  of  my  habit  of  mental  composition  ; 
that  is,  without  putting  pen  to  paper,  for  it  was  not  written  until 
after  the  delivery,  and  almost  verbatim.  Tried  by  the  prevail- 
ing opinions  of  the  present  day,  the  learned  judge's  sentiments 
might  be  pronounced  the  most  narrow  and  illiberal ;  but  if  we  in- 
quire what  were  the  thoughts  of  the  enlightened  men  of  the  day, 
it  will  be  seen  that  he  was  only  on  a  par  with  his  contempora- 
ries. A  half  a  century  has  produced  a  wonderful  change,  in  our 
way  of  thinking,  on  a  thousand  subjects — some,  perhaps,  for  the 
worse,  but  most  of  them  for  the  better.  I  am  one  of  those  who 
think  that,  on  the  whole,  the  world  has  improved  and  grown 
wiser. 


APPKNDTX.  289 

LETTEPw  FROM  JUDGE  YOUXG  OX  THE  JEW  BILL. 

Greexsburg,  Jan.  13,  1819. 
To  H.  M.  Brackexridoe,  Esq. 

Dear  Sir, — I  have  thought  of  writing  to  you  since  your  re- 
turn from  South  America,  for  information  of  your  travels. 
The  details  of  the  commission  relating  to  objects  of  a  civil  and 
political  nature  are  not  so  interesting  to  me  as  those  which  relate 
to  the  state  of  morals  and  religion.  In  fact,  T  have  not  taken 
time  to  read  what  has  been  published  respecting  the  former. 
An  intelligent  friend  of  mine  has  lately  communicated  to  me 
some  facts,  and  concludes  that  from  an  experience  of  five  years 
in  South  America,  the  natives  were,  as  yet,  incapable  of  enjoy- 
ing civil  liberty,  because  their  morals  were  too  perverted,  and 
their  information  too  confined.  He  is  also  of  opinion  that  the 
assent  of  Catholicism,  where  it  prevails,  cannot  agree  with  civil 
liberty. 

On  reading,  yesterday,  the  '*  Baltimore  Telegraph,"  I  found 
the  report  of  a  committee  in  favor  of  Judaism,  which  is  infinitely 
more  disagreeable  to  my  feelings  than  either  Catholicism,  Moham- 
medanism, or  gentilism.  It  has  occurred  to  me  that  you  were 
one  of  that  committee,  and  probably  drafted  the  report.  I  have 
also  read  the  remonstrance,  supposed  to  have  been  written  by 
the  late  President  Madison,*  the  pupil  of  his  predecessor  (Mr. 
Jefferson),  and  who  it  may  be  fairly  presumed  adopted  the  same 
religion  and  political  sentiments.  And  truly  it  may  be  said  that 
neither  were  Christians  in  any  sense  of  the  word ;  it  must  be  a 
matter  of  indifference  to  them  whether  there  be  any  religion  in 
their  own,  or  in  any  other  country.  Believing  all  human  affairs 
to  be  regulated  with  prudence,  and  without  any  connection  with 
the  universal  ('reator,  or  any  dependence  on  his  continual 
providence,  persons  of  this  turn  of  thinking  consider  religion, 
whether  it  be  called  the  true  or  false  by  Epictetes  and  the  dis- 
ciples of  Epicurus,  to  be  mere  superstition.  They  were  in 
some  degree  excusable,  because  the  idolatry  which  prevailed  at 


After  the  Revolution. 
25* 


290  APPENDIX. 

that  time  among  mankind  was  altogether  irrational,  and  wisdom 
from  heaven  had  been  corrupted  in  human  inventions.  It  is 
otherwise  now  when  divine  revelation  has  been  propagated 
among  civilized  nations,  and  although  it  has  also  been  grossly 
perverted,  there  have  been  in  every  one  that  has  received  it  many 
who  without  fully  comprehending  its  divine  sanctity  have  made 
its  precepts  the  rule  of  their  lives.  Thus  the  leaven  of  heavenly 
truth,  little  as  it  may  have  been,  has  leavened  the  whole  mass 
of  the  human  race.  It  ought  to  be  taken  for  granted  that  the 
members  of  your  Assembly  were  elected  by  those  citizens  who, 
at  least,  profess  Christianity,  and  would  not  if  they  had  known 
have  chosen  those  to  represent  them  who  think  there  is  no  real 
distinction  between  themselves  and  the  most  determined  enemies 
of  their  religion.  For  it  cannot  be  denied  that  they  persecuted  the 
Saviour,  and  put  him,  as  they  vainly  imagined,  to  a  cruel  death, 
in  consequence  of  which,  and  of  the  continual  contempt  of  his 
name,  they  have  remained  a  distinct  nation,  and  are  literally 
vagabonds  in  the  world.  As  human  beings,  let  them  live,  and 
be  protected  in  the  peaceable  enjoyment  of  their  property, 
which  they  too  often  acquire  by  knavery,  and  the  most  sordid 
avarice.  But  while  they  remain  in  this  unconverted  state  (and 
few,  it  is  to  be  feared,  are  capable  of  shaking  off  the  prejudice 
which  has  possessed  their  souls  for  so  many  generations),  I 
can  discover  no  just  reason  for  amalgamating  them  with  pro- 
fessing Christians  in  political  life.  1  do  not  entertain  the  least 
idea  of  persecuting  them,  or  any  others,  on  account  of  their  evil 
heart  of  incredulity,  which  is  termed  by  some  their  conscientious 
persuasions.  It  is  my  opinion  they  do  not  possess  conscience, 
if  by  this  be  meant  a  just  conception  of  right,  which  must  be 
attended  by  an  acknowledgment  of  our  own  ignorance,  frailty, 
and  corruption  in  a  state  of  nature,  and  of  the  consequent  neces- 
sity of  wishing  and  acquiring  light  and  life  from  a  supernatural 
of  celestial  origin.  The  Jews  have  rejected,  and  while  they  con- 
tinue such,  will  reject  and  despise  that  light  and  life,  and  are 
not,  therefore,  as  I  humbly  conceive,  to  become  members  of 
the  lowest  order  of  any  body  or  community  that  is  willing  to  be 
ranked  among  Christian  countries.  It  is  true  that  some  of  the 
United  States  require  no  test;  but  does  it  follow  that  their  inhab- 


APPENDIX.  291 

itants  are  either  better  or  worse  by  this  seeming'  liberality  ?  It  is 
equally  true  that  minibers  of  those  who  profess  Christian  doc- 
trines, or  what  are  usually  considered  such,*  are  not  much  better 
than  Jews,  and  some  worse  than  heathens.  This  only  verifies 
the  ancient  maxim — corruptio  optimifU  pessima — which  is  ranch 
the  case  with  a  congregation  in  Baltimore,  who  have  lately 
erected  a  temple  to  an  unknown  divinity  under  the  title  of 
Unitarians.  It  is  no  miracle  that  the  sacra  fames  has  become 
so  general  with  the  wealthy  of  that  place.  I  view  this  to  be 
more  injurious  for  its  reputation  than  its  mobism,  with  which  it 
was  infected  several  years  ago.  Their  practice  of  slavery, 
privateering,  carrying  off  negroes  from  Africa,  inflict  disgrace 
on  the  whole  land.  Endeavor  to  put  a  stop  to  these  practices 
of  enormities,  and  although  you  may  be  censured  by  those  con- 
cerned, and  their  friends,  you  will  deserve  well  of  the  public,  and, 
what  is  greatly  more  to  be  appreciated,  gain  the  favor  of  Heaven. 
You  will,  I  hope,  not  be  offended  with  anything  I  have  said. 
Be  assured  it  has  not  sprung  from  a  want  of  charity  for  that 
unfortunate,  stiff-necked,  rebellious  people,  to  any  one  of  whom 
I  will  be  ready  to  do  any  act  of  kindness  and  humanity.  The 
expression  of  nil  humani  a  me  alienum  puto  is  a  noble  one,  but 
like  charity  it  ought  to  be  exercised  with  prudence,  and  for  good 
ends,  or  it  may  do  more  harm  than  good. 

1  remain,  dear  sir,  yours  respectfully, 

John  Young. 

EEPLY  OF  H.  M.  BRACKENRIDGE. 

Annapolis,  Jan.  2d,  1819. 
Hon.  John  Yocng. 

Dear  Sir,— I  return  you  my  grateful  thanks  for  your  IViendly 

letter.     There  is  nothing  which  can  give  so  much  pleasure  as  to 

be  remembered  by  old  and  respectetl  friends,  whom  we  have 

been  taught  to  esteem  in  our  youth.     1  regret  that  my  time  will 

not  permit  me  to  answer  your  letter  as  fully  as  I  could  desire  ; 

the  business  of  Baltimore  occupies  my  time  in  such  a  manner  as 

scarcely  leaves  me  a  moment  to  spare. 


The  judge  was  a  Swedcnborgian. 


292  APPENDIX. 

With  respect  to  the  state  of  morals  iu  South  America,  bad  as 
it  may  be,  it  cannot  be  worse  than  it  was  before  the  revolution  ; 
if  there  be  any  change  it  must  be  for  the  better.  As  to  religion, 
it  never  had  in  that  country  any  important  influence  in  favor  of 
morals.  The  Catholic  faith  still  predominates  with  the  mass  of 
the  people  ;  but  the  more  enlightened  care  very  little  about  it, 
and  think  still  less.  Toleration  exists  only  so  far  as  they  are  in- 
different about  religion,  for  the  zealofs  are  all  intolerant  and 
narrow  of  heart;  they  say  that  their  country  is  a  Catholic  country, 
and  that  none  have  any  right  to  worship  God  in  that  country 
but  according  to  the  forms  of  the  Catholic  church;  all  other  sects 
of  Christians  are  disowned  by  them  :  they  are  indiscriminately 
called  Jews. 

I  have  warmly  advocated  the  Jew  bill  iu  this  house,  because 
I  believe  that  government  is  tyranny,  whenever  it  intermeddles 
with  religion.  In  this  I  am  supported  by  the  wisest  assemblage 
of  men  this  country  ever  witnessed ;  the  framers  of  the  Consti- 
tution of  the  United  States.  If  I  err,  I  will  err  with  them.  I 
am  convinced  that  all  religious  tests  have  a  tendency  to  encour- 
age hypocrisy  and  perjury.  To  the  believer  they  add  nothing, 
while  the  unbeliever  is  made  criminal.  I  consider  them  not 
more  irrational,  but  impious.  A  few  of  the  States,  some  two  or 
three,  have  provided,  or  rather  retained  the  tests,  but  the  re- 
mainder have  had  the  good  sense  to  reject  them ;  those  tests 
were,  however,  adopted  or  retained  at  the  period  when  we  had 
just  begun  to  think  that  it  was  wrong  for  Christians  to  perse- 
cute Christians;  since  that  time,  we  have  been  convinced  that 
the  same  liberality  should  be  extended  to  all  religions— that  is, 
to  all  who  believe  in  God  and  a  future  state  of  rewards  and 
punishments.  Speculative  or  practical  atheism,  I  believe  no- 
where exists  in  any  society  of  men  ;  should  any  unhappy  indi- 
vidual be  thus  afflicted,  wc  should  pity  him  as  an  unfortunate 
madman,  provided  his  actions  are  harmless.  I  have  known 
honest  and  religious  Turks,  and  I  know  there  are  in  the  world 
many  scoundrels  who  profess  to  be  Christians. 

I  am  respectfully  yours,  etc., 

H.  M.  Brackexrtdge. 


APPENDIX.  293 


SPEECH.* 


Mr.  Speaker, — Could  I,  for  a  moment,  suppose  it  possible  for 
the  bill  on  your  table  to  lessen,  in  the  slightest  degree,  by  its  pas- 
sage, the  attachment  we  all  profess  for  the  religion  in  which  we 
have  been  educated;  or  could  I  bring  myself  to  believe  that  even 
those  innocent  and  harmless  prejudices,  which  more  or  less  in- 
fluence the  opinions  of  the  most  liberal,  are  treated  with  disre- 
spect by  bringing  the  subject  before  this  house,  I  should  be  the 
last  person  to  urge  it  on  your  consideration. 

But,  sir.  I  feel  a  firm  conviction  that  there  is  no  room  for  any 
such  apprehensions.  The  known  public  and  private  worth  (if 
I  may  be  allowed  thus  to  express  myself  in  this  place),  as  well 
as  the  firm  and  fixed  religious  principles  of  the  gentleman  with 
whom  the  bill  has  originated,  and  who  has  supported  it  in  a 
manner  so  becoming  the  enlightened  American  statesman  and 
the  tolerant  Christian,  must  necessarily  repel  the  suspicion  of 
any  but  the  most  generous,  disinterested,  and  philanthropic  mo- 
tives. In  the  theological  view  he  has  just  taken  of  this  interest- 
ing subject,  he  has  most  satisfactorily  proved  to  my  mind  that 
there  is  nothing  in  the  religious  faith  which  we  profess  that  en- 
joins us  to  hold  to  the  arbitrary  test  engrafted  as  a  principle  on 
the  constitution  of  this  State,  at  this  day,  when  it  is  converted 
into  a  stain  by  the  progressive  wisdom  of  the  political  world. 
To  the  test  of  that  wisdom  I  will,  nevertheless,  endeavor  to 
bring  the  question  now  before  the  house.  I  will  endeavor  to 
show  that  the  objectionable  provision  in  our  constitution  is  at 
variance  with  all  the  sound  and  well-established  political  creed 


*  This  speech  was  published  in  pamphlet  form  by  the  Jews  of  Bal- 
timore, and  widely  circulated.  The  bill  had  been  lost,  but  public  atten- 
tion was  awakened  to  the  subject,  both  in  Marj'Iand  and  other  States, 
and  the  matter  was  afterward  brought  before  the  legislature,  at  each 
succeeding  session.  It  gained  strength,  and  after  a  struggle  of  si.x  or 
seven  years,  jtrevailcd.  In  Baltimore,  it  became  a  nine  qua  uon  of  the 
election  of  the  delegate  to  avow  himself  in  favor  of  it. 


294  APPENDIX. 

of  the  present  enlightened  age.  For  this,  I  will  refer  to  the  opin- 
ions publicly  avowed,  and  successfully  maintained,  by  every  dis- 
tinguished statesman  not  only  of  America,  but  throughout  the 
civilized  world.  In  addition  to  this,  I  will  show  that  the  prin- 
ciples for  which  I  this  day  contend  have  received  the  unequivo- 
cal sanction  of  the  most  enlightened  and  respectable  political 
bodies  of  our  country.  The  subject,  although  of  a  most  fruitful 
nature,  properly  resolves  itself  into  three  questions.  1.  Have 
the  Jews  a  right  to  be  placed  on  a  footing  with  other  citizens  ? 
2.  Is  there  any  urgent  reason  of  state  policy  which  requires 
that  they  should  be  made  an  exception  ?  3.  Is  there  anything  in- 
compatible with  the  respect  we  owe  to  the  Christian  religion,  in 
allowing  them  a  participation  in  civil  offices  and  employments  ? 
In  ascending  to  first  principles  (and  in  examining  institutions 
supposed  to  be  founded  upon  them  we  must  often  do  so),  I  find 
that  we  have  duties  to  perform  to  our  Creator  as  well  as  to 
society,  but  which  are  so  distinct  in  their  nature  that  unless 
their  corresponding  obligations  be  clearly  understood,  we  shall 
in  vain  attempt  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  solid  and  satisfactory 
argument.  It  is  unquestionably  the  right  of  society  to  com- 
pel every  one  who  enjoys  its  protection,  to  conform  to  its  ordi- 
nances and  laws.  It  is  its  right  so  to  restrain  his  actions  as  to 
conduce  to  the  general  happiness  and  prosperity.  But  I  con- 
tend that  after  having  exercised  this  control  over  his  actions, 
the  temporal  power  has  reached  its  limit ;  and  when  it  dares  to 
pass  that  limit,  it  opens  the  way  to  oppression,  persecution,  and 
cruelty,  such  as  the  history  of  the  world  has  furnished  but  too 
many  melancholy  examples — not  for  our  imitation,  but  abhor- 
rence. Opinion,  when  merely  such,  when  prompting  to  no  act 
inconsistent  with  the  laws  and  peace  of  society,  should  be  en- 
countered only  by  opinion  ;  and  on  such  occasions  the  inter- 
position of  the  temporal  arm  is  improper,  however  mildly  inter- 
posed. For  it  is  not  the  extent  or  degree  of  com])ulsion  which 
renders  it  improper,  but  the  unjust  and  arbitrary  interference 
itself.  If,  as  members  of  society,  we  have  duties  whose  perform- 
ance the  temporal  power  may  justly  enforce,  we  have,  as  rational 
beings,  other  duties  of  a  much  higher  nature,  to  our  Creator,  of 
which  he  is  the  judge,  and  to  whom  alone  should  be  referred  the 


APPENDIX.  295 

punishment  or  reward  of  their  fulfillment  or  neglect.  Religion, 
therefore,  merely  as  such,  is  a  matter  entirely  between  man  and 
his  God.  If  my  position,  then,  be  correct,  it  will  follow  that 
it  must  be  left  to  every  citizen,  as  he  is  to  stand  or  full  by  his 
own  merits  or  demerits,  to  entertain  that  belief,  or  ofler  that 
worship,  which  in  his  conscience  he  thinks  most  acceptable;  and 
should  any  of  his  fellow-citizens  desire  to  release  him  from  what 
he  conceives  to  be  the  bondage  of  error,  let  it  be  by  an  appeal 
to  the  reason,  and  not  by  a  resort  to  coercion — a  coercion  which 
can  only  affect  outward  actions,  and  serve  to  exhibit  power  on 
the  one  side,  and  weakness  on  the  other.  He  that  is  thus  con- 
vinced, will  be  of  the  same  opinion  still.  The  human  frame 
may  be  bound  in  chains;  it  may  be  imprisoned  and  enslaved;  it 
may  yield  to  the  dagger  of  the  assassin,  or  the  murderer's  bowl; 
but  the  immortal  mind  soars  beyond  the  reach  of  earthly  vio- 
lence. Upon  the  self-evident  truths  which  I  have  spoken  (and 
on  no  others  can  they  safely  rest)  are  built  the  rights  of  con- 
science, so  little  understood,  or  at  least  respected,  in  most 
countries,  not  so  well,  I  confess  it  with  regret,  in  Maryland  as 
they  ought  to  be,  but  perfectly  so  in  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States— an  instrument  for  which  we  are  indebted,  as  a 
nation,  to  the  high  estimation  of  enlightened  men,  and  which 
has  conferred  on  our  country  the  reputation  of  being  the  land 
of  freedom  and  toleration. 

And  here  I  find  it  necessary  to  encounter  an  argument  of 
those  gentlemen  who  oppose  the  passage  of  the  bill;  they  tell 
us  that  no  force  or  coercion  is  resorted  to  by  the  constitution 
of  Maryland,  in  consequence  of  religious  faith— that  every  one 
is  secured  in  his  civil  rights,  no  matter  what  religion  he  may 
l)rofess— that  no  one  can  be  molested  on  account  of  his  religious 
belief— that  no  one  has  a  right  to  complain  of  being  denied 
some  common  benefit,  or  being  excluded  from  holding  offices, 
when  he  does  not  think  proper  to  conform  to  the  prevailing  re- 
ligious tenets  of  the  community  of  which  he  is  admitted  a  mem- 
ber. Sir,  I  contend  that  in  conformity  to  the  reasons  I  have 
advanced,  ei-er^/ citizen  is  entitled  to  all  the  privileges  of  citizen- 
ship ;  that  the  religious  opinions  of  no  one  can  be  justly  visited 
upon  him,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  as  the  immediate  or  re- 


29G  APPENDIX. 

mote  consequence  of  that  opinion.  If,  on  account  of  my  relig- 
ious faith,  I  am  subjected  to  disqualifications,  from  which  others 
are  free,  while  there  is  no  paramount  reason  drawn  from  a  re- 
gard to  the  safety  of  society  why  I  should  be  thus  excepted,  I 
cannot  but  consider  myself  a  persecuted  man.  The  persecution 
may  be  but  slight  in  its  character,  but  still  it  must  bear  the  de- 
tested name  of  persecution.  It  is  true,  it  is  not  the  fagot  or  the 
wheel,  but  it  is  applied  for  the  same  reason — because  my  opin- 
ions do  not  conform  to  those  of  the  more  numerous,  or  more 
powerful. 

An  odious  exclusion  from  any  of  the  benefits  common  to  the 
rest  of  my  fellow-citizens,  is  a  persecution,  differing  only  in  de- 
gree, but  of  a  nature  equally  unjustifiable  with  that  whose  in- 
struments are  chains  and  torture.  In  our  land  of  equal  rights 
and  equal  pretensions  to  the  dignity  and  emolument  of  office, 
to  be  subjected  to  a  degrading  exception  is  by  no  means  a 
nominal  punishment. 

Sir,  in  the  sentiments  which  I  have  uttered  on  this  occasion, 
I  have  done  nothing  more  than  repeat  what  has  already  been 
so  often  and  so  much  better  expressed  by  the  enlightened  states- 
men of  our  country.  There  is  hardly  a  distinguished  American 
who  has  not  in  some  mode  or  other  given  to  these  ideas  his  de- 
cided approbation.  They  are  deeply  engraven  on  the  tablets  of 
those  political  doctrines  which  are  considered  as  eternal  and  im- 
mutable. They  are  among  the  first  lessons  inculcated  on  our 
youthful  minds  ;  they  are  interwoven  in  the  texture  of  our  politi- 
cal constitutions;  and  so  deeply  are  we  impressed  with  their 
truth,  that  every  American  who  aspires  to  the  character  of  liber- 
ality, as  well  as  to  a  proper  knowledge  of  the  spirit  of  our  insti- 
tutions, must  subscribe  to  this  proposition  as  the  test  of  the 
progress  of  his  attainments — that   relioiox  is  a  matter  be- 

TWKKN  MAN  AM)  HIS  (JOD — THAT  THE  TEMPORAL  ARM  SHOULD  BE 
INTKRl'OSED  TO  DIRECT  THE  ACTIOXS  OF  MEN,  AND  NOT  THEIR 
THOUGHTS. 

I  will  now  take  the  liberty  of  reading  some  pages  from  differ- 
ent authors  of  this  country,  who  have  expressed  their  ideas  in 
language  much  more  clear  and  inii)ressive.  [Here  Mr.  13.  read 
Beve.al  passages  from  Mr.  Madison's  memorial  on  the  test  laws 


APPENDIX.  297 

of  Virginia,  from  Judge  Tucker's  works,  and  also  from  a  num- 
ber of  other  writers.] 

Sir,  after  what  I  have  read,  I  would  ask  whether  I  am  not 
warranted  in  saying  that  a  just  criterion  might  be  formed  of  the 
degree  of  proficiency  of  any  one  in  those  political  doctrines 
which  so  justly  and  peculiarly  deserve  the  name  of  American, 
by  the  willingness  or  unwillingness  with  which  he  yields  assent 
to  the  reasoning  contained  in  those  papers  ?  The  masterly  re- 
port of  Mr.  Madison,  doubtless,  in  its  day  had  to  encounter 
opposition  ;  it  came  forth  at  a  moment  when  we  were  just  strug- 
gling to  free  ourselves  from  the  errors  of  our  political  educa- 
tion ;  it  was  then  regarded  as  the  effort  of  a  bold  spirit,  declar- 
ing a  daring  truth  to  his  countrymen.  And  where  is  the  man 
at  this  day  so  rash,  so  mad,  as  to  stand  up  against  it?  That 
truth  has  triumphed  over  bigotry  and  prejudice  ;  it  has  planted 
its  victorious  standard  on  that  noble  monument,  the  Federal 
Constitution ;  it  has  prevailed  in  every  member  of  the  Confed- 
eracy, unless  the  enemy  of  toleration,  driven  from  every  other 
place  of  refuge,  should  have  found  a  last  iutrenchraeut  in  the 
Constitution  of  Maryland — which  God  forbid. 

I  have  hitherto,  Mr.  Speaker,  considered  rather  what  ought 
to  be  the  right  of  the  citizen,  than  what  it  really  is,  as  guaran- 
teed by  the  recorded  monument  of  his  liberties ;  for  it  is  our 
pride  that  for  these  we  are  not  indebted  to  the  charter  of  a 
sovereign.  And  here  I  do  not  hesitate  to  assert,  that  could 
this  question  be  brought  before  some  tribunal  competent  to  de- 
cide, I  would  undertake  to  maintain  that  the  right,  which  this 
bill  professes  to  give,  is  already  secured  by  our  national  com- 
pact; I  would  boldly  contend  that  the  State  of  Maryland  has 
deprived,  and  still  continues  to  deprive,  American  citizens  of 
their  just  political  rights.  If  we  cannot  find  it  in  the  express 
letter  of  the  instrument,  can  we  hesitate  for  a  moment  in  be- 
lieving that  it  has  at  least  virtually  abrogated  every  part  of 
State  laws  or  constitutions  whose  tendency  is  to  infringe  tho 
BIGHTS  OF  CONSCIENCE?  But  first,  let  me  ask,  what  says  your 
own  declaration  of  rights  on  this  subject?  It  emi)hatically  de- 
clares not  merely  that  it  is  the  right,  but  that  it  is  the  duty 
of  every  man  to  worship  God  in  such  a  manner  as  he  thinks 

26 


298  APPENDIX. 

most  acceptable  to  him.  It  is  true,  this  is  narrowed  by  the  sub- 
sequent clause  of  the  sentence,  which  would  seem  to  confine 
that  worship  to  the  professors  of  Christianity ;  and  I  will  not 
trouble  you  with  a  vindication  of  the  enlightened  men  who  drew 
up  that  declaration,  from  the  charge  of  narrowness  of  mind,  in 
supposing  it  impossible  for  any  one  conscientiously  to  worship 
God,  excepting  through  the  medium  of  Christianity.  I  firmly 
believe  that  the  subsequent  expressions  were  intended  to  apply 
to  all  who  worship  the  Deity,  and  that  it  was  not  the  intention 
to  discriminate  as  to  the  mode :  ivherefore  no  person  ought  ly 
any  law  to  he  molested  in  his  person  or  estate,  on  account  of 
his  religious  persuasion  or  profession,  or  for  his  religious  prac- 
tice, unless,  under  color  of  religion,  any  man  shall  disturb  the 
good  order,  peace,  or  safety  of  the  State,  or  shall  infringe  the 
laws  of  morality,  or  injure  others  in  their  natural,  civil,  or 
religious  rights.  I  will  ask,  whether  the  religious  test  in  the 
constitution  of  this  State  can  stand  for  a  moment,  when  con- 
strued by  the  spirit  of  this  declaration?  No,  sir,  they  are 
utterly  incompatible.  Let  us  now  turn  to  the  first  amendment 
of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  ;  we  find  that  Congress 
is  expressly  forbidden  to  pass  any  law  respecting  an  establish- 
ment of  religion.  Does  not  this  speak  volumes?  And  is  it  not 
morally  certain  that,  if  a  declaration  of  rights  had  preceded 
that  instrument,  the  right  to  worship  God,  free  from  all  human 
control  or  reflection,  would  have  been  unequivocally  declared  ? 
No  test  oath  is  required  in  that  instrument;  and  can  there  be 
a  clearer,  although  but  a  negative  exposition  ? 

It  is  true,  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States,  as  a  form  of 
goverumcnt,  is  confined  in  its  operation  to  the  specific  objects 
for  which  it  was  instituted.  But  there  are  certain  broad  and 
fundamental  principles  entitled  to  universal  respect;  and  with- 
out respecting  them,  it  is  impossible  for  the  general  and  State 
governments  to  move  in  harmony  in  their  respective  orbits. 
This,  I  contend,  is  one  of  them,  and  not  the  least  important. 
Let  us  look  at  the  consequence  of  the  contrary  in  the  practical 
operation.  The  citizen  who  cannot  hold  the  most  trivial  office 
in  the  State  of  Maryland  may  be  chosen  to  preside  over  its 
destinies  as  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  nation !     He  may  be 


APrEXDIX.  299 

called  to  the  command  of  your  armies,  and  lead  you  to  battle 
against  the  enemy  who  has  dared  to  invade  your  shores ;  and 
yet  he  cannot  be  an  ensign  or  a  lieutenant  of  the  smallest  com- 
pany in  the  mighty  host !  He  may  sit  on  the  bench,  and  in  the 
Federal  courts  be  called  to  decide  upon  the  fortune  or  the  life 
of  the  citizen  of  Maryland  ;  and  yet  your  constitution  forbids 
him,  as  a  justice  of  the  peace,  to  decide  the  most  trifling  dis- 
pute ?  He  may  be  juror  in  the  circuit  courts  of  the  United 
States,  and  be  the  arbiter  of  the  reputation,  the  life,  or  the 
liberty  of  the  first  among  you ;  yet,  under  the  laws  of  Mary- 
land, he  cannot  sit  in  the  same  box,  to  deal  out  the  measure  of 
justice  to  the  pilfering  slave  !  He  may  be  marshal  of  the  dis- 
trict, and  in  th*it  highly  respectable  and  responsible  situation 
be  intrusted  with  your  most  important  interests,  at  the  same 
time  that  he  is  disqualified  from  performing  the  duties  of  a  con- 
stable !  Can  it  be  believed  that  such  glaring  inconsistencies 
could  have  been  foreseen  or  imagined,  when  our  political  system 
was  put  in  motion,  attuned,  as  it  was  supposed,  to  move  in  uni- 
son and  harmony?  This  clashing  discord,  of  general  and  State 
government,  could  not  have  been  foreseen.  Still  less  could  it 
have  been  supposed  that  discord  would  have  been  produced  by 
such  a  cause.  Supported,  then,  by  the  spirit  of  the  law,  and 
the  strong  argument  of  inconvenience,  I  would  contend  in  be- 
half of  the  citizen,  that  in  requiring  him  to  subscribe  to  a  re- 
ligious test,  for  ani/  purpose,  his  just,  constitutional  rights  are 
infringed  and  violated. 

Sir,  the  history  of  the  American  colonies,  unpolluted  with 
intolerance,  as  it  has  been  sup[)Osed,  compared  to  the  fruitful 
narratives  of  the  persecutions  which  deform  the  annals  of 
Europe,  is,  after  all,  but  comparatively  pure.  Even  in  this 
country,  the  scourge  of  real  persecution  has  been  felt ;  and,  as  in 
every  other,  it  has  done  more  injury  to  genuine  religion  than 
could  ever  be  effected  by  its  avowed  enemies.  With  humility 
and  mortification  be  it  spoken,  the  page  of  our  pure  history  is 
stained  with  persecutions,  on  account  of  religious  opinion,  al- 
though the  day  has  arrived  when,  in  the  face  of  the  world,  we 
assume  for  our  country  the  proud  title  of  the  asylum  of  the 
PERSECUTED  !     In  somc  of  the  colonies,  it  is  well  known  that 


300  APPENDIX. 

denominations,  even  of  Christians,  were  persecuted  unto  death. 
The  cloudy  atmosphere  of  error  and  prejudice,  it  is  true,  had 
begun  to  be  illumined  by  the  blaze  of  the  Revolution,  and  then 
it  was  that  the  framers  of  our  State  constitutions  believed  it 
wise  and  just  that  all  sects  of  Christianity,  in  every  part  of  the 
Union,  should  enjoy  the  most  perfect  equality  of  civil  and  po- 
litical rights.  And  at  this  day  do  we  discover  any  great  effort 
of  liberality  in  assenting  to  this  self-evident  truth  ?  But  are 
we  certain  that  the  enlightened  men  of  those  days  had  not  stub- 
born prejudices  to  encounter?  The  wisdom  of  nations,  like  that 
of  individuals,  is  progressive.  What  is  universal  error  to-day  is  dis- 
putable to-morrow, — and  the  next  receives  the  no-longer-to-be- 
questioned  seal  of  wisdom.  The  probability  is  that  they  led 
the  way  to  the  salutary  reform,  and  triumphed  by  the  force  of 
reason  and  the  weight  of  their  influence.  But  the  reformers  of 
abuses  in  society  have  generally  been  compelled  to  compromise 
with  error.  Their  enlightened  minds  outrun  the  times  and  coun- 
try in  which  they  live  ;  hence  it  is  that  something  was  still  left 
to  be  done  by  our  forefathers  at  a  future  and  more  favorable 
period.  Let  any  one  contemplate  the  rapid  advancement  of 
statesmen  between  the  recent  epoch  of  our  emancipation  and 
the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution,  when  the  sages  of  our 
land  were  intrusted  by  the  general  voice  with  the  awful  duty  of 
framing  for  a  nation  of  the  most  elevated  destinies  a  form  of 
government  that  would  secure  its  peace,  prosperity,  and  happi- 
ness, and  he  will  be  ready  to  admit  that  our  political  wisdom 
had  not  been  stationary.  An  eulogium  on  the  great  men  who 
composed  the  Federal  convention,  and  on  the  work  of  their 
hands,  would  be  necessary,  for  it  is  written  on  the  heart  of  every 
American,  and  next  to  the  gifts  of  Divine  Providence  it  con- 
stitutes his  greatest  blessing.  And  among  the  greatest  achieve- 
ments of  that  work,  in  my  humble  estimation,  was  that  of  put- 
ting a  finishing  hand  to  that  which  they  found  much  advanced, 
it  is  true,  but  still  incomj)]ete — the  final  separation  of  force  and 
opinion — the  entire  dissolution  of  the  unnatural  union  between 
Church  and  State,  whose  offspring  were  monsters,  born  only  to 
feed  on  the  vitals  of  society.  The  citizen  was  declared  respon- 
sible only  for  his  actions;  for  his  religion  he  was  left  to  account 
to  his  Creator. 


ArPEXDIX.  301 

Independently  of  the  reflections  which  led  to  this  decisive 
course,  as  one  of  abstract  and  positive  rijjht,  it  is  to  be  pre- 
sumed they  had  in  their  minds  the  evils  experienced  even  in  our 
own  country  from  religious  persecution,  which,  previous  to  the 
Revolution,  had  not  unfrequently  disturbed  the  peace  and  good 
will  of  the  different  provinces.  For  the  purpose  of  preventing 
the  recurrence  of  these  evils,  it  was  intended  to  secure  to  every 
citizen  of  the  Union  his  personal  rights,  among  the  most  pre- 
cious of  which  are  those  of  conscience.  I  believe  that  any  un- 
biased man,  who  will  read  the  Federal  Constitution,  must  per- 
ceive that  it  does  not  consist  merely  of  articles  of  confederation 
between  independent  States,  but  that  it  is  a  compact  entered 
into  by  all  the  citizens  with  each  other  in  their  individual  ca- 
pacity. The  Federal  Constitution,  therefore,  in  respect  to  civil 
and  political  rights,  holds  forth  a  guarantee  to  all  and  to  each. 
The  rights  of  conscience  are  unalienable  and  imprescriptible; 
they  are  not  susceptible  of  being  even  voluntarily  surrendered ; 
the  only  oflBce,  therefore,  which  the  laws  can  perform  is  to  pro- 
tect and  save  them  from  violation.  My  argument,  Mr.  Speaker, 
leads  to  this  :  that  no  State  government  has  a  right  to  encroach 
upon  what  is  thus  sacredly  guarded  by  a  superior  authority. 
Sir,  I  do  contend  that  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States 
has  guaranteed  to  every  American  citizen  the  right  of  worship- 
ing God  in  the  manner  he  deems  most  acceptable,  and  that  this 
right  is  violated  whenever  the  citizen  is  made  to  feel  the  conse- 
quences of  his  opinions,  either  hy  direct  bodily  inflictions  or  hy 
disq  ualifications. 

But,  sir,  even  admitting  that  I  have  not  been  able  to  maintain 
my  position  on  the  strict  ground  of  constitutional  right,  at  least 
it  must  be  acknowledged  that  the  negative  disapprobation  of 
the  test  by  that  constitution  furnishes  a  powerfiU  argument  in 
favor  of  its  positive  rejection  from  that  of  Maryland.  For  the 
sake  of  decent  conformity,  for  the  sake  of  obviating  the  glaring 
inconsistencies  which  have  been  exhibited,  if  for  no  other  rea- 
sons, the  bill  ought  to  pass.  And  I  would  respectfully  ask 
whether,  even  on  subjects  purely  abstract,  some  respect  is  not 
due  to  the  opinions  of  the  enlightened  statesmen  who  framed 

2(5* 


302  APPENDIX. 

the  Federal  compact  ?    T  know,  sir,  that  to  err  is  in  the  nature 
of  man ;   but,  if  I  must  err,  let  it  he  with  men  like  these. 

And,  let  me  ask,  what  is  the  rational  object  which  this  test 
proposes  to  accomplish  ?  Does  it  propose  to  do  that  luhich  can 
he  done  hy  Omniscience  alone  ?  Does  it  propose  to  discover  the 
inward  thoughts  of  man,  to  lay  open  to  view  the  workings  of  his 
mind  ?  Does  it  propose  to  discover  who  is  the  Christian  and 
who  is  not?  If  such  be  the  object,  and  I  can  discover  no  other 
just  or  natural  one,  I  will  appeal  to  any  man  of  common  experi- 
ence to  say  whether  he  really  expects,  in  this  way,  to  discover 
the  true  sentiments  and  opinions  of  any  one  ?  The  atheist  (if 
there  be  such)  and  the  deist  will  laugh  at  this  mode  of  detect- 
ing their  errors.  They  will  not  hesitate  to  subscribe  what  they 
will  consider  an  idle  form.  The  Jew  and  the  infidel,  unless 
governed,  the  one  by  his  religion,  the  other  by  an  abstract  love 
of  truth,  can  be  placed  under  no  constraint  by  a  test,  which,  if 
they  abuse,  no  earthly  power  can  call  them  to  account.  Is  it 
necessary  to  the  Christian?  Is  he  the  better  Christian  for  avow- 
ing his  belief  before  he  can  be  allowed  the  enjoyment  of  a  tem- 
poral benefit?  No,  sir,  to  hini*such  a  test  is  useless  ;  to  others, 
it  is  worse  than  useless  ;  it  may  make  hypocrites,  and  I  believe 
it  requires  no  great  stretch  of  casuistry  to  say  that  the  sin  of 
this  hypocrisy  must  rest  upon  the  heads  of  those  who  are  the 
authors  of  the  temptation.  If  any  one  can  seriously  flatter  him- 
self that  the  test  can  accomplish  a  rational  object,  it  must  be  as 
a  mode  of  propagating  the  faith  among  those  unbelievers  whose 
love  of  truth  will  not  allow  them  to  be  guilty  of  deception.  To 
these  it  holds  out  the  reward  of  offices  and  dignities  for  their 
conversion,  or  denounces  the  penalty  of  partial  degradation  from 
the  common  benefits  of  citizenship,  while  they  persist  in  their 
unbelief.  Can  it  be  possible,  sir,  that,  in  this  enlightened  age 
and  country,  we  have  not  renounced  the  practice  of  propagating 
religion  by  the  sword  ?  Or  can  it  be  regarded  as  anything  else 
when  temporal  rewards  and  imnishmcnts  are  resorted  to  as  the 
means  of  establishing  or  nuiintaining  religious  opinions?  It  is 
impossible  for  any  one  seriously  to  contend  that  this  was  ever 
in  the  contemplation  of  the  framers  of  our  constitution.  The 
very  clause  in  the  bill  of  rights,  by  which  the  test  is  supposed  to 


APPENDIX.  303 

be  countenanced,  shows  the  stru«rgle  in  the  minds  of  those  men 
between  their  own  opinions  and  the  necessity  of  compromising 
with  the  prejudices  of  the  times.  They  could  not  but  have  seen, 
that,  having  once  destroyed  the  union  between  Church  and 
State,  to  require  a  religious  test  for  political  purposes  was  worse 
than  absurdity.  Even  English  writers  acknowledge  that,  in 
England,  the  test  is  founded  upon  this  union,  and  on  nothing 
else.  It  is  well  known  that,  in  that  country,  the  struggle  be- 
tween Catholics  and  Protestants  was  a  struggle  for  the  govern- 
ment; the  test  was  therefore  resorted  to  for  the  purpose  of  secur- 
ing political  power,  and  not  as  a  mode  of  ascertaining  religious 
sentiments.  We  have  borrowed  it,  as  we  have  many  other 
things,  from  that  country,  without  sufiBcieutly  examining  their 
application  to  a  different  state  of  society  and  manners.  And  I 
hope,  Mr.  Speaker,  it  will  be  renounced,  in  the  same  manner  that 
we  have  renounced  other  things  derived  from  that  source,  but 
unsuited  ta  our  present  situation.  Let  us  substitute  the  only 
real  test  of  the  qualifications  for  public  ofiice :  that  of  public 
and  private  worth,  character,  and  reputation. 

Let  me  not  be  understood,  sir,  to  contend  that  there  may  not 
be  sound  reason  and  policy  for  withholding  from  certain  classes 
of  citizens,  or  people,  the  rights  or  benefits  of  citizens  in  their 
utmost  latitude.  The  existence  of  servitude,  an  evil  beyond  our 
power  to  remedy,  has  given  rise  to  certain  ideas  and  policy, 
which  it  would  be  useless  in  us  to  attempt  to  counteract.  On 
this  subject,  and  that  of  not  throwing  open  to  naturalized  citi- 
zens the  whole  career  of  public  ofiBces.  there  are  reasons  of 
state  policy,  so  fully  established  by  our  laws  and  received  opin- 
ions, that  it  would  be  presumptuous  in  me  to  call  them  in  ques- 
tion. But  I  have  seen  no  reason  of  state,  nor  has  any  been 
suggested,  why  the  naturalized  Jew  should  not  be  placed  on  the 
same  footing  with  any  other  naturalized  citizen  ;  or  why  a.  native 
Jew  should  be  cast  into  a  lower  order  tlian  even  the  naturalized 
foreigner  of  any  country  on  the  globe  !  Is  it  because  there  is 
something  in  the  nature  of  his  race  which  necessarily  renders 
the  Jew  a  less  valuable  citizen  ?  Then,  sir,  ought  we  to  form 
a  graduated  scale  for  the  different  nations  of  the  world,  and 
regulate  the  term  of  their  admission,  or  the  extent  of   their 


304  APPENDIX, 

privilege,  according  to  the  merits  or  demerits  of  their  national 
character?  And  would  it  not,  on  the  same  principle,  be  neces- 
sary to  establish  different  castes  among  our  own  citizens,  and  lay- 
aside  that  wholesome  republican  respect  for  individual  merit 
which  has  hitherto  been  our  guide?  No,  sir,  such  odious  dis- 
crimination is  practically  impossible.  The  citizen  of  Jewish 
origin,  whether  naturalized  or  native,  ought  to  be  entitled  to  all 
the  rights  of  citizenship  that  may  be  claimed  under  like  circum- 
stances by  an  Englishman,  a  Frenchman,  or  a  Spaniard. 

But,  sir,  is  there  really  such  inferiority  in  the  Jewish  race  or 
character  which  renders  it  necessary  to  inflict  on  them  such  a 
degradation  ?  The  sacred  book  on  which  we  ground  our  faith 
teaches  that  they  are  not  an  inferior  people.  Else,  wherefore 
should  they  have  been  the  chosen  people  of  God,  the  favored 
depositaries  of  the  sacred  law  and  holy  prophecies?  Do  we 
forget  that  to  them  we  are  not  only  indebted  for  these,  but  even 
for  the  blessings  of  Christianity  ?  Its  author  was  a  Jew,  his 
apostles  were  Jews.*  On  the  contrary,  there  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that,  as  a  race,  they  are  entitled  to  the  first  rank  among 
nations.  If  a  portion  of  this  race  was  unwilling,  or  unable  to 
believe,  we  are  told  it  was  permitted  by  Providence  for  purposes 
greater  than  we  can  comprehend.  That  their  descendents, 
eighteen  hundred  years  afterward,  should  still  persevere  in  the 
belief,  or  unbelief,  of  their  forefathers,  we  are  taught  to  look 
upon  as  a  miracle  ;  but  we  are  also  taught  that  the  same  peo- 
ple will  believe  at  last,  and  be  restored  to  divine  favor.  Their 
nature,  then,  has  not  changed,  although  they  labor  under  the 
displeasure  of  our  common  Father.  That  displeasure  has  scat- 
tered them  over  the  world,  and  has  exposed  them  to  the  perse- 
cutions of  the  wicked — foul  persecutions,  which,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, according  to  the  natural  tendency  of  things,  has  had,  in 
many  countries,  a  most  unhappy  influence  on  their  character. 
And,  let  me  ask,  is  it  to  be  wondered  at,  when  surrounded  by 
the  most  malignant  enemies,  their  remorseless  oppressors  and 
persecutors,  that  they  should  feel  indignation  and  resentment  ? 
Can  we  expect  them  to  exhibit  elevation  of  character,  when  a 

*  The  first  Christians  wero  Jews. 


APPENDIX.  305 

mark  of  opprobrinm  has  bceD  set  upon  them  ?  Can  we  expect 
to  see  them  display  universal  benevolence,  when  they  are  uni- 
versally scorned  ?  Can  we  expect  to  see  them  engaged  in  sober 
and  industrious  callings,  when  they  are  forbidden  to  be  owners 
of  the  soil,  or  to  exercise  the  common  mechanic  arts?  Can  we 
expect  them  to  love  their  Gentile  neighbors  and  brethren,  when 
the  very  name  is  used  as  a  by-word — when  those  neighbors  and 
brethren  teach  their  children  to  scoff  even  at  their  misfortunes  ? 
If  the  Jew  be  such  as  his  enemies  represent  him,  it  is  their 
cruelties  which  have  made  him  so.  That  this  should  be,  I  own, 
is  the  will  of  Heaven ;  but  before  we  take  part  in  the  persecu- 
tion, let  us  solemnly  pause,  and  recollect  that  when  God  afflicts 
his  children,  the  ixstrumexts  of  his  wrath  are  often  his  ene- 
mies ALSO. 

If  there  is  nothing  in  the  Jewish  race,  is  there  anything  in  the 
Jewish  religious  doctrines  which  necessarily  disqualifies  the  Jew 
from  discharging  the  duties  and  fulfilling  all  the  obligations  of 
a  citizen  of  Maryland  ?  Sir,  I  do  boldly  maintain  that  there  is 
not.  If  there  be  such,  I  call  upon  the  gentlemen  who  have 
risen  in  opposition  to  the  bill  to  point  it  out.  I  should  be  the 
last  to  deny  that  a  belief  in  a  future  state  of  rewards  and  pun- 
ishments is  the  sheet-anchor  of  all  civilized  governments.  And 
has  the  Jew  no  religion  to  enforce  the  performance  of  his 
moral  duties  by  sanctions  beyond  the  grave?  Yes,  sir,  he  has. 
He  worships  the  same  God  that  we  do — the  God  of  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob.  The  same  law  which  was  given  to  him  we 
profess  to  obey ;  and  excepting  that  law,  which  was  from  the 
beginning  imprinted  on  the  conscience  by  our  Creator,  for 
thousands  of  years  the  chosen  people  had  no  other.  "We  are 
taught,  as  Christians,  that  the  whole  of  the  sacred  volume  must 
stand  or  fall  together,  and  consequently  that  the  religion  of  the 
Jew,  so  far  as  he  believes,  is  a  part  of  oufs.  We  are,  however, 
taught  that  the  Author  of  our  religion  came  not  to  govern  the 
earth,  but  to  unbar  for  us  the  gates  of  heaven.  Can  the  Jew  be 
said  to  have  no  religion  which  renders  him  accountable  here- 
after? He  has.  In  his  youth  he  is  taught  the  same  precepts  for 
the  government  of  his  life  that  we  are  ;  in  his  infancy  he  learns 
to  lisp  the  same  prayer  of  universal  benevolence  and  morality 


306  APPEXDIX. 

that  the  Christian  mother  teaches  her  child.  The  decalogue  was 
his  before  it  was  ours.  He  believes  in  the  coming  of  a  Messiah, 
with  great  power  and  glory,  to  judge  the  earth.  This  is  our  be- 
lief also.  On  that  day  we  shall  all  be  Christians,  The  ultimate 
conversion  of  the  Jews  is  a  part  of  our  belief;  why,  then,  this 
intolerant  and  persecuting  spirit  ?  Are  we  apprehensive  that 
there  will  be  a  scarcity  of  persecutors  ?  Are  we  apprehensive 
that  in  ceasing  to  be  persecuted,  and  therefore  ceasing  to  be  a 
peculiar  people,  the  Jews  will  no  longer  be  the  living  miracle 
now  exhibited  to  our  eyes  ?  Then  the  will  of  Heaven  shall  have 
been  fulfilled.  It  is  with  reluctance,  sir,  I  have  pursued  this 
train  of  thought.  It  is  my  wish  to  steer  clear  of  anything  like 
theological  discussion,  and  to  consider  the  present  question  as 
purely  political. 

Were  it  necessary  for  the  support  of  this  bill,  I  would  under- 
take to  vindicate  the  Jewish  character  from  its  commonly  im- 
puted vices  and  defects.  But  the  question  before  the  house  has 
nothing  to  do  with  these  considerations.  I  will  ask  those  Chris- 
tians who  now  hear  me  candidly  and  dispassionately  to  examine 
their  own  minds,  and  to  say  how  much  of  their  opinions  on  the 
subject  of  the  Jewish  character  is  the  offspring  of  prejudice  ?  Most 
of  us  have  been  taught  from  earliest  infancy  to  look  upon  them 
as  a  depraved  and  wicked  people.  The  books  put  into  our  hands, 
and  even  the  immortal  Shakspeare  himself,  have  contributed  to 
fix  in  our  minds  this  unchristian  hatred  to  a  portion  of  our  fel- 
low-raen.  It  is  true,  we  have  witnessed  some  honorable  excep- 
tions. A  modern  writer*  (I  rejoice  to  say  it  for  the  honor  of 
Christendom)  ventured  to  be  their  advocate,  and,  what  is  more, 
with  success.  We  have  seen,  sir,  that  in  the  same  country,  in 
proportion  as  science  and  civilization  have  advanced,  the  condi- 
tion of  the  Jew  has  improved,  while  his  moral  character  has  as 
uniformly  risen  to  the  level  of  that  condition.  Will  any  one 
seriously  compare  the  Jews  of  England,  of  the  present  day,  with 
the  same  peoj)le  a  few  centuries  ago,  when  degraded  and  op- 
pressed by  the  British  kings  ?  Will  the  Jews  of  Portugal  or 
Ti^rkey  bear  a  comparison  with  those  of  the  more  liberal  gov- 

*  Cumberland. 


APPENDIX.  307 

ernments  of  Europe  ?  To  come  nearer  home,  I  will  ask  whether 
the  American  Jew  is  distinguislied  by  those  characteristics  so 
invidiously  ascribed  to  his  race  by  his  enemies  ?  Sir,  I  have  had 
the  honor  of  being  acquainted  with  a  number  of  American  Jews, 
and  do  not  hesitate  to  say  that  I  have  found  at  least  an  equal 
proportion  of  estimable  individuals  to  that  which  might  be  ex- 
pected in  any  other  class  of  men.  None,  sir,  appeared  to  me 
more  zealously  attached  to  the  interests  and  happiness  of  our 
common  country;  the  more  so  as  it  is  the  only  one  on  earth 
they  can  call  by  that  endearing  name.  None  have  more  gal- 
lantly esj)oused  its  cause,  both  in  the  late  and  revolutionary  war  ; 
none  feel  a  livelier  sense  of  gratitude  and  affection  for  the  mild 
and  liberal  institutions  of  this  country,  which  not  only  allow 
them,  publicly  and  freely,  the  enjoyment  and  exercise  of  their 
religion,  but  also,  with  the  exception  of  the  State  of  Maryland, 
have  done  away  all  those  odious  civil  and  political  discrimina- 
tions by  which  they  are  elsewhere  thrown  into  an  inferior  and 
degraded  caste.  ,In  the  city  which  I  have  the  honor  to  repre- 
sent there  are  Jewish  families  which,  in  point  of  estimation  and 
worth,  stand  in  the  first  rank  of  respectability — who  are  scarcely 
remarked  as  differing  from  their  Christian  brethren  in  their  reli- 
gious tenets,  and  whose  children  are  educated  in  the  same 
schools  with  our  youth,  and,  like  them,  glory  in  being  Ameri- 
cans AND  FREEMEN.  Ilavc  wc  hithcrto  had  any  cause  to  repent 
of  our  liberality — rather  of  our  justice  ?  Sir,  I  abhor  intolerance, 
tvhether  it  he  political  or  religious  ;  and  yet  I  can  scarcely  re- 
gard religious  tolerance  as  a  virtue.  What !  has  weak  and 
erring  man  a  right  to  give  permission  to  his  fellow-mortal  to 
offer  his  adorations  to  the  Supreme  Being  after  his  own  manner  ? 
Did  I  not  feel  myself  somehow  restrained  from  pursuing  this 
subject,  I  would  endeavor  to  deniDnstrate'that  the  idea  of  such 
a  permission  or  toleration  is  no  better  than  impiety.  But  I  con- 
tent myself  with  calling  your  attention  to  what  has  been  the 
effect,  in  this  country  at  least,  of  leaving  religion  to  be  taught 
from  the  pulpit,  or  to  be  instilled  by  early  education.  Is  there,  let 
me  ask,  less  genuine  Christianity  in  America  than  in  any  other 
Christian  country?  For,  if  the  interference  of  government  be 
necessary  to  uphold  it,  such  ought  to  be  the  natural   conse- 


308  APPENDIX. 

quence.  Certainly  we  are  not  disposed  to  confess  an  inferiority 
in  this  particular.  Sir,  I  believe  there  is  more.  And  I  am  well 
convinced  that  if  the  success  of  true  religion  were  the  only  end 
in  view,  other  nations  would  follow  our  example  of  universal 
toleration.  I  believe  that  in  no  countries  are  there  more  athe- 
ists and  deists  than  in  those  where  but  one  mode  of  worship  is 
sanctioned  or  permitted.  In  my  opinion,  it  is  the  natural  in- 
clination of  man  to  seek  support  and  refuge  in  religious  feel- 
ings ;  and  if  he  finds  a  religion  which  his  judgment  approves, 
or  to  which  his  affections  attach  him,  he  ■will  cling  to  it  as  his 
brightest  hope.  The  man  who  cannot  subscribe  to  all  the  doc- 
trines and  discipline  of  Catholicism  may  still  be  a  Protestant ; 
the  Protestant  may  be  a  Churchman,  a  Presbyterian,  a  Friend, 
or  a  Methodist.  But  the  despot  allows  him  no  choice ;  he  must 
either  embrace  that  which  is  tendered  him,  or  be  nothing.  No,  sir, 
it  does  not  enter  into  the  duties  of  this  body  to  guard  and  pre- 
serve the  religious  faith  of  Maryland  from  schism  and  innova- 
tion ;  otherwise,  we  have  been  grossly  remiss  in  the  performance 
of  that  duty.  I  do  not  recollect  a  single  statute  or  resolution 
on  the  records  of  this  house  for  this  purpose.  Sir,  the  propa- 
gation of  error  has  never  been  prevented  by  force ;  but  force  has 
sometimes  given  permanence  to  what  would  otherwise  have 
been  ephemeral. 

Were  we  about  to  attempt  the  conversion  of  the  Jews  to 
Christianity,  the  true  mode,  in  my  opinion,  would  be  to  treat 
them  with  kindness,  and  to  allow  them  a  full  participation  of  po- 
litical and  social  rights.  When  men  are  proscribed  for  their 
opinions,  those  opinions  become  dear  to  them ;  like  the  traveler 
in  the  storm,  they  draw  the  mantle  closer  about  them,  but  on  the 
return  of  the  warm  and  genial  sun,  they  cast  it  carelessly  away. 

Some  reasons  have  been  urged  against  the  passage  of  this 
bill  whose  force,  I  must  own,  I  can  scarcely  comprehend.  We 
are  told  that  it  will  hold  out  inducements  to  the  Jews  to  migrate 
to  this  country  from  abroad.  Without  stopping  to  inquire  into 
the  nature  of  this  supposed  evil,  I  will  simply  reply  that  the  in- 
ducement already  exists.  If  it  can  seriously  be  supposed  that 
i\i(i  pru^ptct  of  ohtauiing  officea  would  invite  the  Jews  to  this 
country  in  such  numbers  as  to  endanger  its  safety,  I  would  ask 


APPENDIX.  :50<) 

whether  that  invitation  has  not  been  already  j,nven  i)y  tlic  Con- 
st itutiou  of  the  Union,  as  well  as  those  of  the  neijrhborinjr 
States  ?  On  the  other  hand,  it  has  been  objected  that  the  num- 
ber of  Jews  is  too  inconsidorable  to  call  for  an  alteration  of  the 
Constitution  on  their  account.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  show  how 
far  these  two  proposition  can  be  reconciled ;  but,  sir,  in  relation 
to  the  latter,  1  entertain  a  very  different  opinion.  The  nature  of 
the  injustice  is  not  chang-ed  by  the  greatness  or  smallness  of  the 
number  of  those  who  sutler.  If  but  one  American  citizen  be 
deprived  of  the  least  of  his  just  constitutional  rights,  or  feel 
the  hand  of  tyranny  and  oppression,  and  it  be  in  our  power  to 
afford  him  redress,  it  is  our  sacred  duty  to  interpose.  If  we 
leave  him  to  his  fate,  we  break  down  the  barrier  which  gives  se- 
curity to  ourselves,  and,  by  indifference  to  the  violation  of  his 
rights,  we  invite  the  tyrant  to  trample  on  our  own. 

It  has  been  asserted  and  repeated  that  there  is  no  intolerance 
in  withholding  from  the  Jews  the  common  privileges  of  citizen- 
ship. It  is  asked,  are  they  not  protected  in  the  free  exercise  of 
their  religion  ?  Are  they  not  permitted  to  hold  property,  and 
to  pursue  the  occupations  most  agreeable  to  them,  with  one 
only  exception,  that  of  the  legal  profession,  which  requires 
them  to  sign  the  test  ?  Are  the^i^not  permitted  to  vote  at  elec- 
tions, and  thus  to  have  a  voice  in  the  formation  of  the  laws  ? 
I  own,  sir,  that  this  is  true ;  but  why  allow  them  even  these 
privileges?  It  is  the  principle  against  which  I  contend,  and 
not  the  extent  of  the  injustice.  Suppose  the  Jews  were  allowed 
one  privilege  /ess  than  they  at  present  enjoy ;  lur  instance,  the 
right  to  vote  at  elections  (and  now,  for  the  first  time,  it  was 
sought  to  be  given  them),  would  not  the  same  argument  be 
urged  in  opposition  to  that  just  request,  that  we  have  heard 
this  day  against  placing  them  entirely  on  a  footing  with  their 
fellow-citizens  ?  To  go  further,  let  us  suppose  them  on  a  foot- 
ing with  the  Jews  of  England,  and  an  attempt  were  now  made 
to  extend  to  them  some  trivial  i)rivilege  of  citizenship,  would 
not  the  same  arguments  still  be  urged  against  it  ?  Pursuing 
this  train  of  thought,  to  what  result  would  it  conduct  us?  Sir, 
it  would  end  in  consigning  the  .Jews  to  the  dungeons  of  the  in- 

27 


310  APPENDIX. 

quisition.  The  self-same  arguments  that  have  been  arrayed 
this  day  against  the  passage  of  the  bill  on  your  table,  have  been 
heard  from  the  lips  of  those  who  were  engaged  in  preparing  the 
rack,  the  chains,  the  fires,  for  the  persecuted  Jew.  Such  argu- 
ments are  unworthy  of  free  Americans,  and  ought  to  be  ab- 
horred, if  for  no  other  reason  that  they  are  the  constant  theme 
of  such  as  perpetrate  the  most  horrid  crimes  in  the  name  of  re- 
ligion— of  those,  to  use  the  words  of  a  celebrated  orator,  luhose 
banner  is  stolen  from  the  altar  of  God,  and  luhose  forces  are 
congregated  from  the  abysses  of  hell. 

Even  the  illiberality  of  other  nations  should  afford  us  a  lesson. 
In  countries  w^hich  groan  under  the  tyranny  of  the  inquisition, 
the  stranger  who  professes  Protestant  Christianity  is  held  in 
no  higher  estimation  than  the  Jew— is  even  designated  by  that 
very  name  ;  and  there  is  but  little  doubt  that  his  only  safety 
depends  on  the  protecting  arm  of  his  country;  without  this,  he 
would  be  treated  with  the  same  cruelty  and  opprobrium  as  the 
outcast  Jew  !  As  far  as  epithets  will  go,  the  heretic  is  not  more 
respected  than  his  unfortunate  companion.  This  is  not  the  spirit 
of  Christianity.  If  man  errs  in  his  belief,  is  there  no  judge  ? 
There  is ;  but  that  Judge  has  emphatically  declared  to  man, 
"judge  not,  lest  you  be  judged."  Far  be  it  from  me  to  express 
the  remotest  disrespect  of  any  Christian  denomination.  I  speak 
of  what  I  conceive  to  be  the  abuses  of  that  admirable  system  ; 
and  those  abuses  have  rarely  failed  to  be  practiced  whenever 
there  is  an  exclusive  religion  maintained  by  coercion  of  any 
kind.  If  we  look  abroad,  and  even  glance  around  on  our  own 
country,  we  shall  find  that  the  practice  of  persecution  and  the 
spirit  of  intolerance  are  not  the  inseparable  attendants  on 
Catholicism  ;  nor  does  history  prove  that  American  Protestants 
cannot  he  intolerant. 

It  has  been  said,  and  I  own  I  heard  it  with  some  surprise,  that 
the  evil  proposed  to  be  remedied  by  this  bill  is  of  a  nature 
purely  abstract,  and  accompanied  by  no  real  and  serious  griev- 
ance. It  is  true,  sir,  that  there  has  been  no  deputation  from  the 
people  called  Jews,  to  solicit  in  person,  or  to  make  known  to 
you  their  feelings  and  wishes  in  relation  to  this  matter.  Far 
from  this  circumstance  being  construed  to  their  disadvantage, 


APPEXDIX.  311 

there  is  a  delicacy  in  thus  declining  to  weary  you  with  importu- 
tuuity,  which  deserves  to  be  admired.  But  can  any  one  for  a 
moment  suppose  that  any  native  American  citizen,  whatever 
may  be  his  religion,  is  insensible  to  the  privation  of  liberties 
and  privileges,  so  highly  prized  by  all  his  fellow-citizens  ?  Is  it 
possible  for  him  to  be  insensible  to  the  indignity  of  being  set 
apart,  as  belonging  to  a  caste  unworthy  of  a  full  participation 
of  civil  and  political  rights  ?  No,  sir.  although  the  Jews  are 
silent  on  this  occasion,  they  are  not  insensible  I  will  say  more 
— they  look  to  the  decision  of  this  house  with  the  deepest  inter- 
est, as  to  one  which  may  restore  them  to  that  rank  under  the 
spirit  of  the  bill  of  rights,  and  the  constitution, ^which  they  have 
never  forfeited,  and  to  which  they  have  a  just  claim,  in  reason 
and  sound  policy,  as  well  as  by  the  paramount  principle  of 
the  Federal  compact.  It  is  but  a  few  days  since  I  read,  in 
one  of  the  newspapers  of  Baltimore,  an  account  of  a  public  ex- 
amination at  the  principal  seminary  of  learning  at  that  place. 
To  the  son  of  a  Jew,  a  youth  but  little  turned  of  twelve  years  of 
age,  was  awarded  ih^  first  prize  in  every  branch  of  education  ; 
and  to  crown  all,  he  was  declared  to  have  surpassed  his  compan- 
ions in  good  conduct  and  morality,  as  he  had  in  the  superior  en- 
dowments of  his  mind.  I  own  I  feel  a  mortification,  when  I 
reflect  that  the  talents,  learning,  and  meritorious  deportment  of 
this  youth  can  lead  him  to  none  of  the  offices  or  honors  of  his 
native  State.  That  he  cannot  apply  himself  to  the  study  of  the 
law,  or  aspire  to  a  rank  in  the  volunteer  company  in  which  he 
may.  have  signalized  his  valor.  Is  it  possible,  let  me  ask,  for 
this  youth,  or  his  parents,  to  feel  no  mortification  at  a  distinc- 
tion so  invidious?  Those  enlightened  foreigners,  who  have  been 
in  the  habit  of  praising  the  liberality  of  our  institutions,  will 
with  difficulty  give  credit  to  the  fact  I  have  related.  The  feel- 
ing I  have  for  the  honor  of  my  country,  for  the  character  of 
Maryland,  is  a  much  more  powerful  motive  with  me.  in  voting 
for  the  bill,  than  a  sense  of  what  is  due  to  the  Jews,  however 
strong  that  sense  may  be.  I  feel  mortified  that  any  one  can  say 
that  the  government  of  a  community  of  which  I  am  a  member, 
possesses  the  power  or  inclination  to  exercise  a  control  over 
opinion,  whether  that  opinion  be  political  or  religious.    Nothing 


312  APPENDIX. 

has  so  great  a  tendency  to  elevate  our  character  among  the 
wise  men  of  foreign  countries  as  our  supposed  exemption  from 
all  intolerance.  Our  neighboring  States  deserve  this  praise — 
and  so  inseparably  did  I  suppose  the  principle  of  toleration 
connected  with  our  political  institutions,  that  when  Maryland 
was  first  mentioned  to  me  as  an  exception  it  excited  my  aston- 
ishment. I  hope  for  the  honor  of  the  United  States,  and  of  the 
State  of  Maryland,  the  bill  on  your  table  will  pass. 

I  call  upon  any  gentleman  to  produce  the  dictum  or  opinion 
of  an  American  statesman  of  note  or  celebrity,  in  favor  of  a 
religious  test  for  political  purposes ;  or  the  example  of  any 
State  of  the  UiiJ,on,  whicli  withholds  from  American  citizens  of 
Jeivish  origin  all  eligibility  to  office.  In  one  of  the  States 
(Massachusetts)  we  find  something  like  a  test,  but  confined  to 
a  few  of  the  higher  offices ;  but  I  entertain  no  doubt  that  it  will 
be  done  away  in  that  enlightened  republic,  whenever  it  shall  be 
proposed.  From  every  State  constitution,  formed  since  that  of 
the  United  States,  the  test  has  been  rejected — and  some  of  them 
have  gone  so  far  as  to  say  that  none  shall  ever  be  required.  In 
the  State  of  North  Carolina,  there  is  a  memorable  instance  on 
record,  of  an  attempt  to  expel  Mr.  Henry,  a  Jew,  from  the 
legislative  body,  of  which  he  had  been  elected  a  member.  The 
speech  delivered  on  that  occasion  I  hold  in  my  hand  ;  it  is  pub- 
lished in  a  collection  called  the  American  Orator,  a  book  given 
to  your  children  at  school,  and  containing  those  republican  truths 
you  wish  to  see  earliest  implanted  in  their  minds.  I  will  take 
the  liberty  of  reading  some  passages  from  it.  [Here  Mr.  B. 
read  a  part  of  the  speech.]  Mr  Henry  prevailed,  and  it  is 
a  part  of  our  education,  as  Americans,  to  love  and  cherish  the 
sentiments  uttered  by  him  on  that  occasion. 

In  turning  over  the  pages  of  the  same  book,  I  find  at  least 
ten  speeches  on  the  subject  of  religious  toleration,  from  the  most 
celebrated  orators  of  Great  Britain.  The  names  of  Chatham, 
Fox,  Sheridan,  Grattan,  Erskine  are  here  recorded  as  the  cham- 
pions of  universal  toleration.  As  the  generous  advocates  of  the 
Catholic  and  the  dissenter,  they  speak  "in  words  that  burn  and 
thouglits  that  breathe"— they  denounce  w^th  the  irresistible 
energy  of  truth,  the  unnatural  union  of  Church  and  State,  and 


APPEND  IX.  313 

the  interference  of  earthly  power  in  matters  of  reljfrion.  "Why 
put  this  book  into  the  hands  of  your  chihlren,  if  it  be  not  to  in- 
still into  their  minds  the  sentiments  that  American  citizens 
oujrht  to  entertain?  And  where  is  the  distinction  between  the 
struggle  of  the  Catholic  and  the  dissenter,  for  the  liberty  of  con- 
science in  England,  in  which  we  all  sympathize,  and  the  effort 
now  making  in  favor  of  the  persecuted  Jews?  Is  not  the  pro- 
scription equally  unjustifiable?  Do  they  not  both  claim  the 
same  right,  that  of  offering  their  worship  to  the  Deity,  free  from 
all  animadversion  of  the  temporal  government?  The  case  is  the 
same — it  cannot  be  distinguished. 

Some  remarks  have  fallen  from  gentlemen  that,  in  my  mind, 
go  further  to  discredit  the  opposition  to  the  bill  than  anything 
that  can  be  urged  by  its  supporters.  It  was,  indeed,  with  sur- 
prise I  heard  it.  seriously  asserted  that  if  this  bill  passed,  we 
should  shortly  have  Chinese  or  Turks  in  office,  that  we  shall 
have  the  processions  of  Juggernaut  crushing  to  death  its  vic- 
tims in  our  highways !  I  cannot  suppose  that  gentlemen  were 
serious  in  these  ideas.  I  contend  for  the  freedom  of  tlunlcing, 
and  not  for  the  liberty  of  acting,  as  we  may  think  proper;  and 
if  Juggernaut  should  happen  to  come  among  us,  and  attempt  to 
disturb  the  peace  of  our  towns,  I  should  be  the  first  to  hand 
him  over  to  the  constable.  So  long  as  my  actions  neither  con- 
travene the  laws  nor  disturb  my  neighbor,  no  one  has  a  right  to 
molest  me.  This  is  the  right  I  desire  as  an  American  citizen; 
and  I  proclaim  it  persecution  when  any  one  forcibly  interrupts 
the  free  enjoyment  of  my  opinion  in  matters  of  religion,  politics, 
or  science,  provided  they  lead  me  to  do  no  act  which  insults  my 
neighbor,  or  violates  the  laws  of  the  land.  Where  the  matter  is 
a  mere  difference  of  opinion,  I  hold  my  rioht  uxquestioxable 

TO  DIFFER  from  ANY  OTHER  MAX,  OR  FROM  ALL  MAXKIXD,  BE  THE 
SUBJECT  WHAT  IT  MAY. 

Is  any  gentleman  really  afraid  that  Chinese  or  Turks  may  be 
elected  to  offices  of  honor  or  profit  in  this  State  ?  1  see  no  reason 
why  they  should  not  be,  if  the  people  think  them  deserving  of 
their  confidence.  But  is  the  danger  really  so  great  as  to  require 
them  to  be  excluded  by  constitutional  provision?  I  never  saw 
but  two  Chinese  in  the  United  States,  and  they  were  the  servants 

•27* 


31 4  APPENDIX. 

of  an  eminent  merchant  in  New  York,  and  one  Turk,  who  exhib- 
ited as  a  jug-gler.  But  the  irresponsible  ivfidel  may  be  allowei^ 
to  hold  office,  if  the  test  be  repealed  !  If  the  term  infidel  be  ap- 
plied to  those  individuals  among  us  who  deny  the  Sacred  Scrip- 
tures altogether,  I  assert  that  no  religious  test  can  have  any  effect 
upon  them.  As  to  them,  the  only  test  is  a  knowledge  of  their 
opinions,  character,  and  habits  of  life,  among  their  fellow-citi- 
zens. The  religious  test  places  it  in  their  power  to  acquit  or 
condemn  themselves  as  they  may  think  proper;  there  can,  there- 
fore, be  no  greater  absurdity  than  to  subject  them  to  such  a  trial. 
Nay,  its  effects  would  be  worse ;  for  suppose  the  case  of  one 
whose  misfortune  it  might  be  to  disbelieve,  yet  of  known  honor 
and  integrity,  perhaps  unconsciously  di  practical  Christian,  and 
such,  it  must  be  admitted,  there  are — such  a  man,  abhorring  a 
falsehood,  will,  of  course,  decline  the  test ;  and  if  any  one  should 
deny  this  to  be  an  evil,  1  might  not  be  disposed  to  dispute  the 
point — yet  is  there  any  one  who  will  not  concur  with  me  in  dis- 
approving, in  the  strongest  terms,  the  possibility  of  the  7'eal  in- 
fidel, the  man  who  has  neither  regard  to  honor  or  religion,  de- 
riving every  benefit  of  office,  from  his  willingness  to  take  up  a 
convenient  mask  ?  Will  he  hesitate  to  subscribe  to  the  test,  if 
anything  is  to  be  obtained  by  it  ?  vSuch  is  the  character  of  this 
test,  which  excludes  the  man  of  truth  and  integrity,  and  admits 
the  unprincipled  knave  !  If  a  witness  swear  falsely  as  to  fact, 
his  testimony  can  be  disproved  by  other  witnesses  ;  but,  in  this 
instance,  it  is  only  omniscience  which  can  convict  him.  If  ac- 
cused of  having  acted  falsely,  or  in  contradiction  to  sentiments 
expressed  on  other  occasions,  he  can  say  that  conviction  has 
reached  his  mind,  or  that  it  has  been  shaken ;  and  who  is  to  de- 
termine the  truth  or  falsehood  of  that  which  is  necessarily  con- 
fined to  his  own  breast?  The  test  I  consider  as  utterly  useless 
for  any  temporal  purpose.  If  the  term  infidel  be  applied  to  the 
unconverted  aborigines  of  this  country,  I  must  again  reply  that 
there  is  not  the  remotest  probability  of  the  test  acting  upon  them 
in  any  way.  But,  sir,  the  bill  on  the  table  is  confined  to  the 
Jews,  and  is  intended  specifically  for  their  benefit ;  it  is  not  in- 
tended for  the  infidel,  Turk,  or  Chinese;  tind  surely  the  Jewish 
religion  is  not  to  be  placed  on  a  footing  with  barbarous  sui)er- 


APPENDIX.  315 

stitions.  It  has  been  impressed  on  my  mind,  that  the  Jewish 
religion  is  divine;  that  we  should  believe  in  the  books  of  the 
Old  Testament  as  well  as  they,  although  we  believe  also  in  those 
of  the  New.  We  concur  in  the  belief  of  that  which  constitutes 
the  base  and  foundation  of  Christianity — take  away  that  founda- 
tion, and  where  is  the  superstructure  ?  And  why  should  we  be 
displeased  with  them,  because  they  think  proper  to  continue 
their  abode  in  the  darker  apartments  below,  while  we  have  as- 
cended to  the  higher  parts  of  the  dwelling,  and  breathe  a  freer 
air,  and  are  surrounded  by  a  clearer  light  ?  The  provisions  of 
the  bill,  I  confess,  are  not  exactly  what  I  would  wish  them  to 
be — they  do  not  go  far  enough.  Instead  of  providing  merely  for 
the  case  of  the  Jews,  I  could  wish  the  test  entirely  expunged 
from  the  constitution. 

I  am  sensible  that  I  have  trespassed  much  on  the  patience  of 
this  house,  on  a  subject  in  which  the  reputation  of  this  State  is 
more  deeply  involved  than  its  interests ;  it  is  one  which  seems 
to  be  remote  from  the  ordinary  business  of  legislation ;  but  I 
feel  for  the  character  of  those  whom  I  represent,  as  I  feel  for  my 
own  ;  and  the  character  of  justice  and  a  proper  regard  for  the 
rights  of  my  fellow-citizens  is  far  dearer  to  me  than  any  con- 
sideration of  interest ;  and  I  see  no  reason  why  the  State  in  its 
represented  assemblage  should  not  be  actuated  by  those  mo- 
tives which  are  regarded  as  generous  and  noble  when  they  in- 
fluence individual  actions. 

There  is  but  one  remaining  objection  to  the  passage  of  the 
bill,  and  this  I  will  endeavor  also  to  meet,  and  yet  it  is  not  with- 
out reluctance.  It  has  been  repeated  that  the  passage  of  the 
bill  is  incompatible  with  the  respect  we  owe  to  the  Christian  re- 
liirion  :  that  this  is  a  Christian  land;  that  the  Christian  reli- 
gion  ought  here  to  be,  at  least  legally,  avowed  and  acknowl- 
edged;  and  that  the  respect  which  is  due  to  that  institution 
may  be  weakened  by  abolishing  the  test.  Sir,  I  can  see  no  dis- 
respect offered  to  any  system  of  religion,  where  the  government 
simply  declares  that  every  man  may  enjoy  his  own,  provided  he 
discharges  his  social  duties ;  and  that  the  only  support  of  re- 
ligion should  be  derived  from  the  zeal,  affection,  and  faith  of 
those  who  profess  it.    Sir.  T  d.)  firuily  b-'lieve  that  it  is  an  insult 


310  APPEND  IX, 

to  the  Christian  religion  to  suppose  that  it  needs  the  temporal 
arm  for  its  support.  It  has  flourished  in  despite  of  temporal 
power — by  the  interference  of  temporal  power  in  its  behalf,  has 
its  progress  ever  been  retarded  or  its  principles  perverted. 

But,  we  are  told,  that  this  is  a  Christian  land,  and  that  we 
are  Christians !  I  rejoice  to  hear  it,  and  I  hope  we  will  prove 
ourselves  worthy  of  the  name,  by  acting  on  this,  and  on  every 
other  occasion,  with  Christian  spirit.  The  great  Author  of  that 
sublime  religion  teaches  us  charity  and  forbearance  to  the 
errors  and  failings  of  our  fellow-men.  To  his  followers,  he 
promised  no  loorldly  benefits,  but  crowns  of  glory  in  heaven ; 
for  he  emphatically  declared  that  his  kingdom  teas  not  of  this 
world.  Far  from  inculcating  unkindness  and  resentment  to 
those  of  the  Jews  who  did  not  believe  in  him,  he  even  forgave 
those  among  them  who  were  his  persecutors  and  enemies.  Do 
we  find  any  injunction  bequeathed  to  his  followers  to  pursue 
those  enemies  with  vengeance  ?  No — his  last  words  was  a  prayer 
for  their  forgiveness ;  and  shall  we  dare  to  punish  where  he  has 
been  pleased  to  forgive? 

But  this  is  a  Christian  land!  And  let  me  inquire  of  the 
page  of  history,  by  what  means  it  became  so?  Was  it  through 
the  instrumentality  of  peace  and  good  will  to  our  fellow-men? 
Perhaps  we  may  say  with  a  clear  conscience,  that  we  violated 
no  principle  of  justice  or  Christianity  in  our  dealings  with  the 
poor  heathen,  whom  we  found  in  possession  of  the  soil.  But  if 
there  is  a  beam  in  our  own  eye,  at  least  we  can  see  the  mote  in 
the  eye  of  our  Christian  brethren  of  the  South.  Let  us  cast  a 
glance  toward  the  bloody  Christian  conquests  of  Cortez  and 
Pizarro— they  are  now  Christian  lands,  and  by  what  means  did 
they  become  so?  lean  fancy  to  myself  the  wretched  Guati- 
mozin,  stretched  on  burning  coals,  his  only  crime  that  of  being 
suspected  of  unrevealcd  treasures,  and  I  hear  him  rebuke  his 
less  patient  companion  in  misery,  by  the  simple  but  heroic 
question,  Am  I  on  a  bed  of  roses?  Who  was  the  Christian  oh 
that  occasion?  No,  sir,  the  soil  we  inhabit  yields  its  fruit  to  the 
just  and  to  the  unjust;  the  sun  which  gives  us  life,  sheds  his 
glorious  beams  impartially  on  all.  But  the  great  majority  of 
the  dwellers  in  this  land  are  Christians;  therefore  is  it  a  Chris- 


APPENDIX.  317 

tian  land!  For  the  same  reason,  it  Tnisfht  be  a  Catholic,  Epis- 
copal, or  Presbyterian  land.  Our  political  compacts  are  not 
entered  into  as  brethren'of  the  Christian  faith — but  as  men,  as 
members  of  a  civilized  society.  In  looking  back  to  our  struggle 
for  independence,  I  find  that  we  engaged  in  that  bloody  con- 
flict for  the  RIGHTS  of  max,  and  not  for  the  purpose  of  enforcing 
or  defending  any  particular  religious  creed.  If  the  accidental 
circumstance  of  our  being  for  the  greater  part  Christians 
could  justify  us  in  proscril)ing  other  religions,  the  same  reason 
would  justify  any  one  of  the  sects  of  Christianity  in  persecuting 
the  rest.  But,  sir,  all  persecution  for  the  sake  of  opinion  is 
tyranny — and  the  first  speck  of  it  that  may  api>ear  should  be 
eradicated,  as  the  commencement  of  a  deadly  gangrene,  whose 
ultimate  tendency  is  to  convert  the  body  politic  into  a  corrupt 
and  putrid  mass. 

Mr.  Speaker,  if  I  were  required  to  assign  a  reason  why,  in 
the  course  of  events,  it  was  permitted  by  Providence  that  this 
continent  should  have  become  known  to  Europe,  the  first  and 
most  striking,  according  to  my  understanding,  would  be,  that  it 
was  the  luill  of  Heaven  to  open  here  an  asylum  to  the  perse- 
cuted OF  EVERY  NATION !  We  arc  placed  here  to  officiate  in  that 
magnificent  temple;  to  us  is  assigned  the  noble  task  of  stretch- 
ing forth  the  hand  of  charity  to  all  those  unfortunate  men  whom 
the  political  tempests  of  the  world  have  cast  upon  our  shores. 
"SVe  Americans  should  feel  a  generous  exultation  when  we  be- 
hold even  the  Jew,  to  whom  the  rest  of  the  world  is  dark  and 
cheerless,  find  in  this  Christian  land  a  home  at  last. 


318  '  APPEND  IX. 


JUBILEE  ORATION. 

Delivered  Fourth  of  July,  1826. 

Fellow-Citizens, — We  are  about  to  celebrate  the  fiftieth  re- 
turn of  the  first  and  most  important  day  in  the  annals  of  our 
country.  The  first,  because  on  this  day  her  existence  as  a  nation 
began  ;  the  most  important,  because  on  this  day  she  received  the 
mighty  impulse  by  which  she  still  moves. 

To  the  philanthropist  of  every  country  this  is  a  day  of  rejoic- 
ing, for  it  is  the  day  of  liberty.  To  despots  it  is  a  day  of  de- 
spair, for  its  spreading  beams  will  illumine  the  earth ;  tyrants 
will  then  disappear,  and  the  nations  will  spring  up  elastic  from 
beneath  the  foot  of  oppression.  To  us,  the  inhabitants  of  this 
favored  land,  it  is  a  day  of  confidence,  for  it  is  our  'political 
jubilee.  Time,  who  tries  and  proves  every  human  scheme,  has 
now,  on  a  structure  supposed  to  be  too  beautiful  for  permanence, 
affixed  his  seal.  Majestic  and  sublime  it  glides  along  the  stream, 
strong  from  success — bold  from  experience — and  buoyant  with 
every  hope. 

Is  it  not  the  dictate  of  the  heart  to  love  and  venerate  those 
days  which  recall  the  recollection  of  great  benefits  conferred,  or 
of  great  calamities  averted?  They  are  hallowed  and  conse- 
crated by  gratitude  and  religion.  In  the  mighty  events,  to  us 
and  to  our  fellow-men,  which  have  sprung  from  the  declaration 
made  by  our  ancestors  on  this  day,  we  cannot  but  discover  tlie  hand 
of  the  Great  Dispenser  of  every  good.  Our  first  obligation  is, 
therefore,  gratitude;  first,  to' that  great  being  whom  we  acknowl- 
edge as  our  universal  benefactor,  and,  secondly,  to  the  sages  and 
warriors  through  whose  instrumentality  we  have  become  the 
most  fortunate  of  nations.  For  is  there  any  people  less  afilicted 
by  public  calamity,  or  more  richly  endowed  with  national  bless- 
ings ?  No  scenes  of  domestic  feud  deform  the  face  of  our  land. 
Our  sword  sleeps  in  its  scabbard.    Where  shall  we  find  a  people 


APPEND  IX.  319 

more  safe  from  rapacity  and  violence,  or  better  protected  in 
their  pursuit  of  liappini^ss?  We  sit  down  under  our  own  vine 
and  fig  tree,  and  there  is  no  one  to  make  us  afraid.  Let  not 
these  comparisons  be  made  as  incentives  to  arrogance  and  pride. 
Let  them  rather  be  as  lessons  of  humility  and  wisdom.  Let  our 
hearts  be  filled  with  benevolence  when  we  compare  our  situation 
to  that  of  millions  groaning  under  oppression,  the  victims  of 
misery  and  want.  Let  us  bethink  ourselves  how  we  can  share 
with  them  a  portion  of  our  abundant  blessings. 

It  becomes  us,  then,  by  all  human  means  to  prolong  the  pros- 
perity which  has  fallen  to  our  lot.  Far  easier  is  our  task  than 
that  of  our  fathers.  It  is  ours  to  celebrate,  to  enjoy,  and  to 
preserve;  it  was  theirs  to  encounter  the  dangers  of  the  doubtful 
conflict,  where  ruin,  ignominy,  and  death  awaited  their  defeat ; 
and  where,  to  many,  even  success  could  afford  but  a  glimpse  of 
that  promised  land  they  were  not  destined  to  enter. 

Let  the  historian  carefully  record  everything  which  relates  to 
the  great  day  we  are  about  to  commemorate.  The  painter,  the 
poet,  and  the  orator  will  endeavor,  and  in  vain,  to  give  a  just 
conception  of  the  spectacle  which  our  country  exhibited  to  the 
world  in  the  bold  appeal  of  this  day.  Trusting  to  the  justice  of 
her  cause,  with  the  principles  set  forth  in  the  Declaration  of 
Independence  as  her  guide,  inexperienced,  and  at  first  unaided, 
without  military  art,  or  arms,  or  men  to  encounter  an  invasion  on 
the  land,  or  ships  to  meet  the  enemy  on  her  coast,  our  infant 
country  engaged  in  conflict  with  one  of  the  most  powerful  and 
warlike  nations  of  the  globe.  It  was  the  will  of  Heaven  that  our 
cause  should  prevail;  and,  before  the  return  of  another  jubilee, 
the  truths  contained  in  the  Declaration  of  Independence  will  be 
received  as  revelation  by  every  civilized  people.  Despots  will 
tremble  to  hear  them,  and  finding  a  response  in  the  human  heart, 
they  will  become  universal.  'J'he  enthusiasm  enkindled  by  the 
celebration  of  this  day  will  excuse  the  expression  of  a  wish,  that 
Liberty,  icilh  arms  as  capacious  as  the  ocean,  shall  embrace 
every  land,  and  her  voice  be  heard  on  every  sJiore  ! 

Our  gifted  countrymen,  and  the  sons  of  genius  of  other  na- 
tions, have  attempted  the  mighty  theme.  The  historian  has 
traced  the  incidents  of  the  eventful  struggle;  the  poet  has  tuned 


320  APPENDIX. 

his  harp  to  the  song  of  American  glory ;  the  painter  has  thrown 
upon  the  canvas  the  living  features  and  the  moving  scenes  of 
American  heroes  and  American  history.     The  names  of  Wash- 
ington, Franklin,  Adams,  Otis,  Henry,  Warren,  Green,  Putnam, 
and  a  thousand  others  are  associated  with  whatever  is  happy  to 
our  Republic.     Would  to  Heaven  those  illustrious  men,  who 
fought,  who  wrote,  who  spoke^  who  counseled  on  that  day,  and 
in  the  events  which  sprung  from  it,  who  staked  their  lives,  their 
fortunes,  and  their  sacred  honor  on  the  result,  could  be  per- 
mitted to  revisit  us  on  each  succeeding  return  of  its  celebration, 
be  the  witnesses  of  our  gratitude,  and,  if  but  for  a  moment, 
share  the  well-earned  fruits  of  their  toils,  their  sacrifices,  and 
their  dangers !     Happy,  thrice  happy,  surviving  patriots  of  the 
Revolution:   *Lafayette,  Adams,  Jefferson,  Carroll,   and  your 
few  companions  still   preserved  to   us,  that  we  may  long  be 
blessed  with  the  sight  of, those  whom  we  call  the  Fathers  of  our 
Country!     Venerable   men!     You  will   this   day  receive  the 
warm  and  enthusiastic  gratulations  of  the  millions  of  freemen 
who  owe  to  you  their  political  existence.     And  who  can  esti- 
mate the  searching  and  expansive  power  of  the  great  moral 
truths  you  have  taught?     The  rights  of  nations  and  of  men  are 
no  longer  the  subjects  of  vague  surmise.     They  are  at  length 
fixed  on  immutable  and  unassailable  foundations.    They  are  now 
as  certain  as  the  attributes  of  human  nature.    The  celestial,  the 
inextinguishable  light  is  fast  spreading  to  the  farthest  boundary 
of  civilization,     Europe  is  already  half  illumined.     Its  noontide 
blaze  has  burst  upon  France,  and  although  dazzled  she  is  not 
blinded;  she  believes  that  political  improvement,  to  be  perma- 
nent, must  be  gradual.     Germany  feels  it  warm  and  animating. 
In  Greece,  where  we  find  at  once  the  cradle  and  the  grave  of 
liberty,  it  has 

"Kindled  a  soul  under  the  ribs  of  death." 
Spain  has  been  roused  and  awakened.     Yes,  my  countrymen, 

»  The  orator  did  not  know  that  Adams  and  Jefferson  expired  on  the 
very  day  this  oration  was  delivered.  He  afterward  pronounced  a  eulogy 
on  them. 


APPENDIX.  321 

the  spreading  circle  of  your  example  will  embrace  every  nation, 
and  the  day  will  come  when  you  will  be  revered  not  only  as  the 
fathers  of  your  country,  but  as  the  chief  benefactors  of  mankind. 

The  effect  of  that  example  is  still  more  deeply  traced  in  coun- 
tries toward  which  we  feel  a  near  and  almost  inseparable  interest. 
The  descendants  of  Iberia,  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  have 
given  proofs  that  the  ancient  fire  of  chivalry,  of  heroic  enter- 
prise, is  not  yet  extinguished.  It  burns  with  increased  bright- 
ness in  a  pur.  r  atmosphere.  Eighteen  millions  of  people,  spread 
over  the  territory  of  six  great  republics,  each  almost  equal  to 
ours  in  extent,  have  declared  and  maintained  their  independence. 
After  nearly  twenty  years  of  bloody  and  exterminating  war,  sus- 
tained by  them  with  heroic  constancy,  they  are  at  length  com- 
pletely masters  of  their  own  soil,  and  to  the  friends  of  liberty 
present  the  cheering  prospect  of  settling  down  under  free  and 
enlightened  institutions. 

Mexicans,  Columbians,  Peruvians,  Chilians,  United  Provinces 
of  La  Plata,  we  look  to  you  with  anxious  hope  to  see  the  triumph 
of  republican  principles  in  the  new  world.  Let  me  conjure  you 
to  disappoint  the  prediction  of  your  enemies,  who  declare  you  to 
be  unfit  for  self-government,  and  who  wish  to  see  you  broken  up 
into  petty  States,  affording  a  hundred  theaters  for  civil  wars,  the 
nurseries  of  military  despots.  Let  us  hope  that,  having  won 
your  independence,  you  will  achieve  a  still  more  noble  conquest 
over  yourselves,  through  mutual  conciliation  and  concession, 
so  that  war  may  become  the  least  honorable  road  to  honors 
and  distinction.  To  my  countrymen  I  will  say,  indulge  not  in 
narrow  feelings  of  jealousy  or  unkindness  toward  the  new-born 
republics  of  the  south.  Neither  Washington  nor  Franklin  ever 
encouraged  a  narrow,  selfish  policy.  Their  great  and  enlight- 
ened minds,  instead  of  viewing  the  neighboring  American  States 
as  foreign  to  us  as  the  monarchies  of  Europe,  would  have  re- 
garded them  as  our  natural  allies.  They  would  proclaim  that 
the  spell  of  European  colonization  on  the  continent  of  America 
was  broken,  and  that  the  attempt  to  set  a  hostile  foot  on  its 
shores  would  strike  a  nerve  that  would  vibrate  from  St.  Croixr 
to  La  Plata. 

Fellow-citizens,  this  day  and  year  is  the  political  jubilee  of 

28 


322  APPENDIX. 

America.     Ft)r  fifty  years  our  favored  country  has  pursued  the 
uninterrupted  march  of  prosperity,  and,  iu  spite  of  sinister  pre- 
dictions, this  confederacy  has  attained  a  rank  among  the  nations 
of  the  earth  as  high  and  commanding  as  it  was  once  humble  and 
unpromising.     Our  success  in  our  revolutionary  struggle  was 
great ;  our  success  in  the  subsequent  management  of  our  affairs 
has  not  been  less,  and  both,  in  despite  the  forebodings  of  de- 
sponding friends  and  the  denunciations  of  enemies.     To  the  list 
of  the  names  of  heroes,  statesmen,  and  patriots,  who  laid  the 
foundation  of  this  great  Republic,  many  others  have  been  added, 
not  less  deserving  to  live  in  the  hearts  of  a  grateful  people.  We 
have  met  the  lords  of  the  ocean,  and  we  have  proved  that  it 
was  destined  by  Heaven  that  the  highway  of  nations  should  be 
free.     We  have  won  trophies  on  the  land  which  we  hold  as  a 
warning  to  those  who  shall  have  the  temerity  to  invade  us  ;  and 
we  have  won  the  palm  in  many  of  the  arts  of  peace.     But  while 
we  duly  appreciate   the  advantages  of  our   peculiar  position, 
which  entitle  us  to  assume  a  station  so  proudly  independent,  let 
us  never  forget  what  is  due  to  others,  however  inferior  to  us  in 
power  and  importance.     A  haughty  and  arrogant  spirit  would 
not  accord  with  the  liberty  of  sentiment  proclaimed  to  the  world 
when  we  appealed  to  it   for   the  justice  of   our  cause.     Our/ 
national  policy,  firm   and  steady,  should  be  just  and  honorable 
to  all.     Far  from  us  every  thought  of  war  for  the  sake  of  con- 
quest or  the  gratification  of  vain  glory;  and,  happily,  there  is 
no  ^Carthage,  which  our  enmity,  or  ambitions,  or  policy  urge  us 
to  destroy,  or  which  in  its  turn  has  sworn  to  us  an  eternal 
hatred  !     Even  with   that  great  people  from  whom  we  have 
separated,  of  whose  injustice  we  have  had  so  often  reason  to 
complain,  it  behooves  us  to  cultivate  the  most  friendly  feelings, 
and  to  leave  to  the  record  of  the  historian  the  memory  of  the 
past.     Let  us  not  seek,  fellow-citizens,  amid  the  scenes  of  vio- 
lence,-of  war,  of  desolation,  for  the  seeds  which  have  been  scat- 
tered over  our  land  by  the  events  of  the  day  we  celebrate.    No. 

0  •:■  The  cry  of  the  Romans  was  "dclenda  est  Carthage,"  Carthago  must 
be  destroyed.  Hannibal,  at  ten  years  of  age,  was  led  by  his  father  to 
the  altar  and  made  to  swear  eternal  hatred  to  Rome. 


APPENDIX.  323 

Let  us  hope  that  we  may  find  them  over  the  wide  space  of  our 
EepubliCjin  the  general  happiness  they  have  diffused,  in  tlie  vast 
increase  of  happy  human  beings,  and  in  the  harmony  and  tran- 
quillity which  pervade  its  ample  bosom.  These  are  the  delight- 
ful fruits  of  equal  rights,  of  equal  laws,  and  of  representative 
government.  The  boasted  miracle  of  Alfred's  scepter  is  almost 
realized  over  a  surface  of  territory  as  extensive  as  Europe."^ 

May  we  not  hope,  fellow-citizens,  that  it  is  the  will  of  Provi- 
dence that  a  scheme  of  government  so  favorable  to  human  hap- 
piness shall  endure  ?  State  after  State  has  been  admitted  within 
the  circle  of  the  confederacy,  and  the  sublime  system,  true  to  its 
principles,  still  goes  its  harmonious  round.  Or  must  we  say 
with  Ossian  in  his  address  to  the  sun,  "  Thou,  too,  shall  have 
an  end,  whether  thy  yellow  hair  stream  on  the  eastern  clouds, 
or  thou  tremble  at  the  gates  of  the  west  ?"  Let  not  this  truth 
appear  as  a  writing  on  the  wall  to  occasion  our  despair,  but  to 
warn  us  as  a  friend ;  to  warn  us  against  the  vain  belief  that  we 
have  attained  perfection,  or  that  our  body  politic  has  put  on  in- 
corruptibility ;  to  warn  us  that  everything  human  is  imperfect, 
and,  partaking  of  our  nature,  has  within  it  the  seeds  of  decay ; 
to  warn  us  that  as  the  blessings  we  enjoy  were  not  obtained 
without  countless  sacrifices,  neither  can  they  be  retained  without 
unceasing  watchfulness  and  toil.  Let  it  then  be  our  duty,  and 
our  sacred  obligation  to  turn  aside  from  us  everything  which 
endanger  our  precious  inheritance,  and  especially  let  us  shun  all 
sectional  dissensions.  Let  us  guard  with  vigilance  against  the 
slightest  perversion  of  our  republican  system,  and,  above  all, 
let  us  observe  attentively  whether  those  to  whom  we  have  in- 
trusted the  administration  of  the  laws  have  attempted  to  restrain 
the  freedom  of  our  lawful  thoughts  and  actions.  In  a  word, 
the  only  safe  foundation  of  our  government  is  the  virtue  and 
intelligence  of  our  fellow-citizens ;  without  these,  our  political 
scheme,  the  more  perfect  in  theory,  the  worse  will  be  in  prac- 
tice ;  it  will  only  add  to  our  misfortune,  as  it  will  serve  the  arts 

of  corruption  and  conceal  the  iniquity  of  our  public  agents. 

'. • 

*  That  a  child  might  travel  from   one  end  of  the  kingdom  to  the 
other  with  a  purse  of  gold  in  its  hand. 


324  APPENDIX. 

Far  from  us  be  such  a  deplorable  conjuncture  ;  but  should  such 
a  calamity  happen,  let  us  cherish  the  pleasing  thought  that  na- 
tions possess  within  them  the  principle  of  renovation  as  well  as 
of  decay.  And  in  the  mean  time  there  is  a  precious  inheritance 
to  which  we  should  cling  as  the  mariner  clings  to  the  last  plank 
of  the  shipwreck.  Let  no  momentary  distrust,  disappointment, 
inconvenience,  or  supposed  partial  operation  of  measures, 
adopted  for  the  common  good,  weaken  our  devotion  to  the  palla- 
dium of  our  national  safety,  the  ark  of  our  national  greatness 
and  felicity,  our  Federal  Union.  Dark  and  portentous  that 
day  to  America,  when  the  glorious  confederacy  shall  be  dis- 
solved !  Never  until  then  shall  we  know  its  full  value,  nor  the 
evils  of  separation.  But,  alas  !  when  dissolved,  it  will  be  dis- 
solved forever !  It  was  not  brought  about  by  each  contending 
for  extreme  pretentions  or  opinions,  but  was  the  blessed  fruit  of 
mutual  concession  and  conciliation,  and  accomplished  by  a 
miracle  ;  and  it  is  only  by  the  same  means  that  it  can  be  main- 
tained. Let  there  be  no  strife  or  contention  between  us,  except 
the  friendly  contest  of  which  shall  yield  the  most. 

We  have  everything  in  the  soil  and  climate  and  position 
which  we  can  desire,  and  so  long  as  the  Federal  and  State  gov- 
ernments shall  continue  to  move  in  their  respective  orbits,  it 
will  be  to  us  a  common  country.  At  home  the  confederacy  is 
felt  in  preserving  peace  and  harmony,  in  providing  for  the  com- 
mon defense,  and  in  effecting  great  public  improvements.  To 
the  rest  of  the  wDrld  we  appear  in  the  imposing  attitude  of  a 
mighty  nation.  A  system  so  admirable  in  its  structure,  so  ines- 
timable in  its  uses,  so  broad  in  its  foundations,  like  an  Egyptian 
monument,  bids  fair  to  be  lasting.  And  it  will  stand,  until  the 
Federal  government  s7ta^/  become  regardless  of  the  rights  of  the 
States,  and  the  States  regardless  of  the  paramount  author iti/  of 
the  Unio7i,  and  the  rights  of  each  other  ;  until  passion,  distrust, 
and  coemption  shall  poison  every  heart  and  darken  every 
mind!  May  that  unhappy  day  be  distant,  or,  if  it  must  come, 
may  no  one  of  us  be  living  to  witness  the  desolation.  Rather 
let  us  indulge  the  pleasing  hope,  that  from  the  great  diversity 
of  our  soil,  climate,  and  occupations,  a  mutual  dependence  will 
arise,  and  that  we  shall  become  a  world  within  ourselves,  that 


APrEXDTX.  325 

our  internal  trade,  increasing  each  day  by  new  channels  and 
new  products,  and  by  augmented  facilities  of  intercourse,  will 
bind  us  together  by  iununieruble  and  indissoluble  ties.  Far  from 
us  the  mad  ambition  of  Rome,  to  extend  the  bounds  of  the  em- 
pire. Let  it  be  ours  to  preserve  them  unaltered,  or  only  extended 
by  slow  and  inevitable  destiny ;  and  within  those  bounds  let  us 
conquer  and  subdue,  but  let  our  conquests  be  those  of  peace ; 
let  them  be  seen  in  roads,  in  canals,  in  great  internal  works  and 
in  wise  government,  thus  increasing  the  "foundations  of  public 
and  private  felicity;"  and  let  them  be  blessings  to  the  con- 
quered as  well  as  the  conquerors.  And  in  time  the  enlightened 
stranger,  who  reads  the  Declaration  you  have  heard  this  day, 
on  visiting  our  shore,  may  behold  its  commentary  wherever  he 
moves  over  the  wide  surface  of  our  continent. 


REMARKABLE   JOIJRXEY    FRO:\r   PHILADEL- 
PHIA TO  FLORIDA  IX  TWELVE  DAYS. 

Letter  Addressed  to  a  Friend. 

July,  1832. 

If  I  had  been  without  some  enemies  in  Florida,  I  should  have 
been  much  more  fortunate  than  other  men  in  public  office. 
Those  who  were  enemies  to  me  were  chiefly  in  the  politics  of 
the  Territory,  in  which  I  took  no  active  part.  To  some  of  these 
persons  it  was  desirable  to  have  a  pliant  judiciary.  I  did  not, 
therefore,  suit  them.  They  knew  that  under  Mr.  Adams,  their 
eflbrts  against  me,  without  just  Cause,  would  be  unavailing.  An 
opportunity,  however,  on  one  occasion  did  offer  itself  to  make 
the  attempt.  During  ten  years  I  had  never  missed  a  court, 
although  over  an  extensive  district,  thinly  inhabited,  I  had  to 
travel  hundreds  of  miles  regardless  of  floods  and  tempests.  In 
1827  the  yellow  fever  broke  out  in  Pensacola,  and  at  the  request 


326  APPENDIX. 

of  the  bar,  and  the  officers  of  the  court,  I  gave  notice  that  the 
October  court  would  not  be  held.  I  thought  I  would  take 
advantage  of  the  intervening  time  to  cross  the  tier  of  Southern 
States  to  visit  my  family,  then  in  Philadelphia.  In  doing  so,  I 
knew  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  return  in  time  to  hold  the 
next  court  at  Jackson,  one  of  the  interior  counties.  The  tempta- 
tion was  so  strong  that  I  determined  to  run  the  risk.  I  had 
scarcely  reached  Philadelphia,  when  I  was  informed  that  a 
strong  remonstrance  had  been  sent  to  Washington  against  my 
expected  absence  from  Jackson  court,  headed  by  the  district 
attorney,  who,  under  other  circumstances,  would  have  felt  per- 
fect indifference. 

A  copy  of  the  remonstrance  was  transmitted  to  me  from  the 
State  Department;  it  was,  therefore,  a  very  serious  business.  I 
was  informed  that  unusual  preparations  were  making  to  attend 
that  court,  so  that  the  disappointment,  and  my  failure,  might 
appear  the  greater.  I  had  but  twelve  days  to  make  a  journey 
in  winter  of  a  thousand  miles,  the  quickest  trip  of  the  mail  not 
being  less  than  thirty  days  by  stages  and  on  horseback.  But  I 
did  not  refrain  from  making  the  attempt  from  despair,  believing 
that  there  is  a  special  provideiice  in  favor  of  those  who  exert 
themselves  to  do  their  duty.  I  first  took  my  passage  in  the 
stage  in  the  usual  way,  and  then  went  down  to  the  Delaware  to 
look  among  the  shipping.  Here,  after  much  search,  I  had  the 
good  fortune  to  find  a  small  sloop,  or  rather  fishing  smack, 
loaded  with  Yankee  notions  for  a  southern  port — Savannah  in 
Georgia,  with  her  skipper,  and  another  man  and  a  boy,  consti- 
tuting her  whole  crew.  They  had  been  waiting  for  a  fair  wind 
for  some  days,  and  were  ready  to  sail  at  any  moment.  As  the 
wind  had  been  from  the  east,  the  next  change  would  come  from 
the  northwest,  and  would  probably  be  a  fierce  one.  After  giv- 
ing directions  how  to  find  me,  I  gave  orders  to  call  me  up  the 
moment  the  wind  changed,  if -tt  should  be  midnight.  Accord- 
ingly this  was  done  before  daybreak,  and  by  noon  we  were  off 
the  Capes  of  Delaware,  running  almost  under  bare  poles,  the 
wind  freshening  to  a  gale.  The  little  craft  seemed  to  me  like 
the  small  diving  duck,  under  water  half  its  time.  I  ventured 
but  once  to  look  out,  and  then  hastily  drew  in  my  head.     The 


APPEND  IX.  32t 

third  morning,  we  were  in  sight  of  Savannah,  being  almost  be- 
calmed. When  we  reached  the  wharf,  most  fortunately  for  me, 
there  was  a  small  steamboat  just  about  to  take  lier  departure  for 
Augusta,  and  leaping  on  board,  I  reached  that  place  after  a  very 
short  passage.  There  now  remained  only  the  journey  on  horse- 
back of  three  or  four  hundred  miles.  I  went  at  once  to  a  livery 
stable  to  purchase  a  horse;  I  selected  two  at  the  same  price  (one 
a  bright  showy  bay,  the  other  a  stout  arched  necked,  or  godol- 
phin),  with  the  privilege  of  trying  them  in  a  ride  fifteen  miles, 
accompanied  by  a  stable-boy,  who  was  to  take  back  the  one  I 
should  reject.  Before  going  five  miles,  the  Arabian  godolphin  was 
chosen,  being  satisfied  that  he  was  good  for  at  least  fifty  or  even 
seventy  miles  a  day.  After  swimming  two  rivers  (it  was  a  time 
of  high  water),  the  Sunday  afternoon  of  the  court  week  founa 
me  within  fifteen  miles  of  the  court-house.  Taking  things  now 
at  my  leisure,  I  rode  up  at  the  usual  hour  of  the  meeting  of  the 
court,  gave  my  horse  to  an  attendant,  and  took  my  seat  as  if 
there  was  nothing  unusual.  The  district  attorney  had  been  con- 
versing with  a  friend,  and  had  said :  "  I  should  not  be  surprised 
if  the  d — d  old  rascal  would  make  his  appearance  yet !"  ''That 
is  impossible,"  said  the  other.  "I  do  not  know,"  said  the  attorney ; 
*'he  cannot  be  judged  by  others;  he  acts  on  different  principles 
from  most  men."  At  that  moment  they  saw  me  ride  up.  I  do 
not  relate  this  incident  to  boast  of  it,  as  a  feat  to  compare  with 
those  of  Lorenzo  Dow,  or  of  others  who  have  done  something 
unusual  in  this  way ;  but  I  humbly  think  that  in  no  instance 
has  the  exploit  been  attended  with  a  more  useful  moral* 

H.  M.  Brackenridge. 


*Twenty  ye.irs  after  this  I  received  a  voluntary  letter  from  the  gen- 
tleman most  active  against  me,  on  this  occasion,  written  in  very  elegant 
terras,  which  did  honor  to  his  head  and  heart.  In  this  he  expresses  his 
regret  at  the  injustice  done  mo  by  him  and  the  Jackson  favorites 
unfriendly  to  me  in  Florida. 


328  APPENDIX. 


EXTRACT   FROM   WASHINGTON   IRYIXG'S 
ASTORIA. 

"  In  a  little  while  the  barge  of  Lisa  made  its  appearance.  It 
came  sweeping  gently  up  the  river,  manned  by  twenty-six  stout 
oarsmen,  and  armed  by  a  swivel-mounted  old  bow.  The  whole 
number  on  board  amounted  to  twenty-six  men ;  among  them  was 
Mr.  Henry  Brackenridge,  then  a  very  young  enterprising  man, 
who  was  a  mere  passenger,  tempted  by  notions  of  curiosity  to 
accompany  Lisa.  He  has  since  made  himself  known  by  various 
writings,  among  which  may  be  noted  a  narrative  of  this  very 
voyage. 

"  The  high  words  between  Dorion  and  Lisa  ended  by  the  for- 
mer dealing  him  a  blow,  on  which  the  latter  returned  to  his 
boat  to  procure  a  weapon.  He  now  reappeared  on  the  field 
with  a  knife  stuck  in  his  girdle.  Mr.  Brackenridge,  who  had 
tried  in  vain  to  mollify  his  ire,  accompanied  him  to  the  scene  of 
action.  Dorion's  pistols  [the  pistols  of  Mr.  Hunt]  gave  him 
the  advantage,  and  he  maintained  a  most  warlike  attitude." 
This  is  a  part  of  the  one-sided  statement — there  is  another  side. 

"Now  came  the  delicate  point  of  management,  how  the  two 
rival  parties  were  to  conduct  their  visit  to  the  village  with 
proper  circumspection  and  decorum.  Neither  of  the  leaders 
had  spoken  to  each  other  since  their  quarrel.  All  communica- 
tion had  been  through  the  ambassador.  Seeing  the  jealousy 
entertained  of  Lisa,  Mr.  Brackenridge  in  his  negotiation  had 
arranged  that  a  deputation  from  each  party  should  cross  the 
river  at  the  same  time,  so  that  neither  should  have  the  first 
access  to  the  ear  of  the  Anicaras."* 

*  At  eight  years  of  age  I  won  the  civic  crown  by  saving  a  human 
life  at  Gallipolis.  On  the  above  affair  I  stood  twice  at  the  risk  of  my 
own  life  between  Lisa  and  his  antagonist. 


APPENDIX.  320 


THE    MOUNDS    OR   PYRAMIDS 

Opposite  St.  Louis,  on  the  American  Bottom,  were  visited  by 
rae  in  1811,  and  which  I  was  the  first  to  mention  or  notice.  The 
following  is  a  notice  by  a  recent  traveler  (1868),  extracted  from 
a  St.  Lous  paper  : 

Pre-Historic  Remains  in  the  Mississippi  Valley — Mounds  on 
the  American  Bottom. 

"  The  mounds  on  the  American  Bottom,  in  Illinois,  are  com- 
prised in  two  separate  groups,  constituting  one  grand  and  im- 
posing system.  They  number  nearly  two  hundred,  including 
those  on  the  adjacent  bluff;  they  are  of  various  sizes  and 
shapes,  rising  from  the  scarcely  distinguishable  elevation  to  the 
imposing  structure  of  over  ninety  feet ;  they  are  conical,  ellip- 
soidal, truncated,  square,  and  tetragonal ;  they  are  entirely  of 
earth,  and  raised  with  as  much  regularity  and  symmetry  as  a 
potter  would  mould  a  mode  in  clay ;  they  have  all  been  formed 
from  material  taken  from  the  adjacent  plain  or  bluff — vegetable 
mould,  clay  and  soil — and  present  a  marked  mottled  appearance, 
identical  with  the  mounds  in  the  Ohio  valley.  Every  mound 
has  been  elevated  by  human  labor,  and  he  who  denies  this  self- 
evident  fact  simply  acknowledges  himself  ignorant  of  the  sub- 
ject. The  evidence,  externally  and  internally,  position,  struc- 
ture, character,  and  contents,  clearly,  positively,  and  unmistaka- 
bly prove  this. 

"  The  tumuli  under  consideration  were  probably  all  erected  by 
the  same  people.  We  cannot  here,  as  in  the  case  of  the  ancient 
Britons,  determine  from  the  character  of  the  mounds  the  type 
of  race  they  cover.  There  the  long  or  elliptical  barrow  contains 
the  long  or  dolichocephalic  head ;  and  per  contra,  the  round  or 
conical  barrow  contains  the  round  or  hrachocephalic  head. 
Here  we  have  the  long  and  round  mounds,  but  not  human  crania 
of  corresponding  type  confined  to  those  forms.     "SVe  have  here 


330  APPENDIX. 

the  semi-prognathous  and  pyramidal  heads,  but  not  confined  to 
any  particular  form  of  mounds. 

"  The  fictilia  from  these  western  mounds  consist  of  distinct 
qualities.  One  is  fine,  compact,  close-grained,  kiln-burned, 
painted  and  tastefully  ornamented,  moulded  for  a  breccia  com- 
posed of  clay,  and  proved  much  skill.  The  other  is  coarse, 
rude,  of  irregular  thickness,  sun-dried,  ornamentative  without 
taste,  and  composed  of  clay  and  small  rhomboidal  fragments  of 
white  epathic  carbonate  of  lime,  and  some  of  simple  clay.  Some 
of  the  finer  quality  occasionally  show  a  polishing  or  glazing, 
leaving  minute  stri«,  as  if  done  with  a  blade  of  grass  dipped 
into  ar  barbotte. 

"■  In  making  some  excavations  on  the  plain,  a  short  distance 
west  of  the  large  mound,  I  discovered  large  quantities  of  pot- 
tery in  connection  with  human  remains.  Some  of  them  were 
rude  and  quite  heavy.     One  was  clearly  a  ciniary  urn. 

''The  implements,  ornaments,  and  weapons  in  stone  indicate 
two  classes — one  representing  thepa/acoe(^e/izc  or  undressed  stone 
age ;  the  other,  the  neotithic  or  polished  stone  age  of  Sir  John 
Lubbock.  Some  of  the  specimens  of  the  finer  quality  are  of 
exquisite  skill  and  workmanship.  They  are  of  porphyry,  horn- 
blende, granite,  serpentine,  nephrite,  and  the  hardest  varieties 
of  amphabolic  rock. 

"  One  of  the  most  interesting  classes,  is  agricultural.  They 
are  unlike  any  implements  or  utensils  in  store  found  in  the  Ohio 
valley  or  any  other  part  of  the  country.  They  were  undoubt- 
edly used  in  tilling  the  soil.  One  represents  the  modern  hoe, 
and  our  domestic  implement  is  but  little  improvement  on  that  of 
the  mound  builders.  A  specimen  before  me  is  of  limpid  quartz, 
of  faultless  workmanship.  Their  smaller  quartz  weapons  are 
very  fine,  ranging  from  the  common  horn  stone  up  through  all 
the  varieties  to  the  present  chalcedony.  The  celts  or  axes  rep- 
resent an  extensive  class,  and  are  of  almost  every  style  and 
finish.  Some  are  very  large,  weighing  over  ten  pounds.  A 
granitic  implement  far  surpasses  these  in  size,  some  weighing 
over  twenty-five  pounds.  The  use  of  this  was  probably  to  dress 
hides  or  crush  corn.  Their  mortars  and  pestles  have  been  re- 
covered— their  pipes,  disks,  and  porphyritic  rings  for  games. 


APPENDIX.  331 

"The  household  goods — Lares  and  Penates  of  a  people  forever 
lost — are  among-  the  contents  of  mounds  added  to  the  fine  col- 
lection of  early  art  which  I  have  made  in  this  interesting  region. 

"The  ornaments  with  which  they  decorated  their  persons,  the 
weapons  with  which  they  fought,  the  implements  with  which 
they  slew  their  game,  and  the  vessels  with  which  their  domestic 
board  was  served  with  viands,  have  all  been  recovered,  with  a 
large  number  of  miscellaneous  articles  in  stone,  which  consti- 
tute, with  those  from  other  antiquarian  localities,  one  of  the  most 
extensive  and  valuable  collections  of  early  American  art  yet 
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"  The  object  sought  in  these  researches  is  to  make  a  full  col- 
lection of  ancient  art,  representing  the  archaeology  of  the  north- 
ern division  of  the  western  continent." 


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